Portrait of Constance-Gabrielle-Magdeleine Bonnier de la Mosson as Diana 

Jean-Marc Nattier painted "Portrait of Constance-Gabrielle-Magdeleine Bonnier de la Mosson as Diana" during the Rococo period, when French society was marked by aristocratic excess and elaborate artifice. Here, Madame Bonnier de la Mosson is not just portrayed; she's cast as the Roman goddess Diana, a figure of both chaste virginity and fierce independence. This was a common trope at the time, as painting women as mythological figures was a way of flattering the sitter while also presenting an ideal of femininity. But, it is interesting to note that Diana’s traditional attributes like her bow and quiver are here made symbols of grace and beauty rather than hunting prowess. The relaxed pose and soft features of Madame Bonnier de la Mosson suggest a different reading, one where the sitter maintains her identity within the representation of power, but the power that is represented is more aesthetic than actual. This painting, therefore, reflects the complex interplay of gender, class, and representation in 18th-century France, and invites us to consider how women navigated the constraints and expectations of their time.