Diana and her Nymphs 1663 - 1733

Gerard Hoet painted "Diana and her Nymphs" sometime between the late 17th and early 18th centuries. This canvas reflects the cultural context of the Dutch Golden Age, with its interest in classical mythology. Here we see Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, attended by her nymphs, their bodies glowing in a clearing, with some bathing in a stream, others lounging on the bank. Diana was revered as a symbol of female strength and independence, but also purity and the wild. By portraying Diana and her entourage in a state of undress, the painting flirts with the male gaze, even as it celebrates a community of women. Hoet’s work invites us to consider the complex and sometimes contradictory ways in which women's bodies have been represented in art. The nymphs are at once powerful huntresses and objects of beauty, caught in a moment of playful rest. In that regard, the painting gives us an idyllic view of sisterhood, of care and of freedom.