Study for 'Diana and Actaeon'
Thomas Gainsborough
- Art Funded
- 1996
- Dimensions
- 27.4 x 36.4 cm
- Vendor
- Henry Wemyss
This is taken from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' which describes the hunter Actaeon inadvertently happening upon the goddess Diana bathing with her nymphs.
Enraged that a mortal has seen her naked, Diana throws water at Actaeon, transforming him into a stag, which is subsequently devoured by his hunting hounds. This is the earliest of three surviving studies for the work in the Royal Collection.
Provenance
Sir Richard Wallace; Sir John Murray Scott; Lady sackville; Nigel Nicholson; Marchioness of Angsley; Hon. Rupert Paget; Sothebys.