Diane de Versailles

Name: Diane de Versailles (a Roman copy of Leochares’ original)

Date: unknown (original from 325 BC)

Location: Department of Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities, Sully, ground floor, room 17 (The Louvre Museum)

Approximate Dimensions: 6ft. 6 ½ inches

Sculptor: Leochares (sculptor of the original)

Medium: marble

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Diane_de_Versailles_Leochares.jpg, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_of_Versailles

Picture taken by Marie-Lan Nguyen

Significance of the work:

This statue of Artemis is slightly larger than the average person. In my opinion, this seems to serve the purpose of reminding the viewer that the gods are still above man. Artemis is depicted as a huntress who is very manlike and slender. Immediately below her left side is a young, male deer, which is smaller than the average person. Immediately the viewer can see that this statue is proclaiming Artemis’ superiority over her prey. It is also significant that a deer accompany her since that animal is sacred to her. Her right arm is raised over her shoulder to grip an arrow. In her left hand she holds a fragment of bow. These simultaneous actions show her getting ready to strike. To add to this feeling of rising action, her face is focused on what seems to be her prey. This whole sculpture seems to capture her a moment before she is about to strike. This nicely shows the overall nature of Artemis as the goddess who lives for the hunt. She is not shown flaunting her body like the other frivolous Olympians; she maintains her chastity and lives instead to capture her prey.