006

  • Diana of Gabii

  • After 4th century BCE original, ca. 1850
  • After Praxiteles (Greek)
  • Carved marble
  • 149.8 x 45.8 x 48.3 cm., 59-1/8 x 17-15/16 x 19-1/16"
  • Gift of Dr. Thomas William and Mrs. Barbara Lee Carter through Catherine Carter Goebel, Paul A. Anderson Chair in the Arts, Paul A. Anderson Art History Collection, Augustana College, 1998.16

Essay by Leslie F. Wolf, Former Fellow of Philosophy

The piece shown here is a reproduction of a Roman copy of a marble statue of Diana (Artemis) by the Greek sculptor Praxiteles. Praxiteles was active between 375-340 BCE. Thus, he worked during the Late Classical period, about one hundred years after the great classical sculptors Pheidias and Polykleitos. The Late Classical period witnessed a number of innovations in sculpture, including the following: an increased use of marble (as opposed to bronze); "emotional expressiveness" and "dramatic poses;" a greater range of types and textures of clothing; and, the appearance of the female nude (Grossman 64; Boardman 289; Dillon 48). Praxiteles himself contributed to many of these developments. For example, Praxiteles often worked in marble, though he also produced some bronze sculptures; and his Aphrodite of Cnidus, which Pliny the Elder claimed to be the best sculpture ever produced, was apparently the first large-scale female nude (Grossman 84). It is possible that Praxiteles' original sculpture of Diana (Artemis) was painted-many Egyptian, Greek, and Roman sculptures were painted, and Pliny reports that Praxiteles said that his favorite sculptures were those that had been painted by Nicias, which indicates that at least some of Praxiteles' own sculptures were painted (Pliny Natural History 35.133).

Many scholars believe that none of Praxiteles' original sculptures have survived, and his work is primarily known to us through Roman copies and literary descriptions. It is important to note that ancient copies were often imperfect, even when created in the same medium as the originals on which they were modeled (Boardman 282-83; Grossman 36). Even so, the Roman copy of Praxiteles' Diana (Artemis) is an extraordinary piece, and it is clearly the work of a master sculptor.

Some words about the piece are in order. The subject of the statue is Artemis, whom the Romans identified with Diana. Many scholars believe that at least some of the most important gods and goddesses worshipped by the ancient Greeks were borrowed from the ancient Near East; and, some scholars believe that reference to Artemis in Greece can be found in Linear B writing dating to 1400-1200 BCE (Parker 250-52). Artemis was certainly an ancient deity, and she was also a very important one. In fact, the ancient Greeks regarded her as one of the twelve most important divinities, a group that also included Zeus, Athena, and Apollo, who was Artemis' twin brother (Parker 248; Price 11-12). Artemis was variously associated with the wilderness, hunting, childbirth, etc. Her cult was extremely important in ancient Greece, and references to her can be found in works ranging from Homer's Iliad to the New Testament (Acts of the Apostles 19:28). Many scholars believe that the ancient Romans worshipped the goddess Diana since at least the sixth century BCE (Green xvii). Eventually, the Romans identified Artemis with Diana. Like Artemis, Diana was variously worshipped as a goddess of the wilderness, hunting, and childbirth (Green 112ff; Rives 84).

Many Greek and Roman statues of Artemis/Diana show her reaching over one shoulder to retrieve an arrow from a quiver. Here, the goddess is shown reaching toward one shoulder in order to fasten her diplax (a kind of cloak) (Grossman 40). This is unusual; ancient statues of gods and goddesses do not typically show them in the act of dressing. Has Artemis given up the hunt, or is something else afoot?