Object Description
Diana the Goddess
By Alexandre Falguière
Cast from bronze and patinated, the figure of Diana, goddess of the moon and the hunt, can be identified here by the crescent moon in her hair and by the bow she holds. The sculptor clearly chose the pose to display the figure’s sensuous curves to full effect.
French, circa 1885
Falguière’s Diana was exhibited in plaster at the Salon of 1882 to widespread acclaim and became his most celebrated work. Diana epitomises Falguière’s piquant ability to bring together the realistic bodies of 19th Century models and the elevated goddess subject. As one critic wrote of his figures, they “seemed to show the traces of a recently removed corset.”
Jean Alexandre Joseph Falguière (1831-1900)
Jean Alexandre Joseph Falguière was the epitome of the successful academic artist and was prolific in his output. His many statues of female nudes were especially popular and gained him some notoriety.