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Fountain of Diana

Fountain of Diana is a marble sculpture showing Diana de Poitiers as the Roman goddess of the hunt, Diana. It was long attributed to Jean Goujon or Benvenuto Cellini, but is now more likely credited to the French sculptor Germain Pilon. The figure holds a bow with one hand and embraces a deer with the other, while standing with two dogs. It once formed the upper part of a monumental fountain in the courtyard of the Château d’Anet, built for Diana de Poitiers by Philibert Delorme. The work is considered the first depiction of a nude figure in French sculpture and the first large-scale French garden sculpture. The original marble is now in the Louvre in Paris.

The Fountain of Diana, a marble sculpture of a nude woman with a bow embracing a stag, with two dogs on the basin below.
The Fountain of Diana in a sepia photograph, showing the central marble group of Diana with a stag and two dogs below.
© Marville, Charles (Charles-François Bossu, dit) (17–07–1813 - 01–06–1879), photographe · CC0
Fountain of Diana, a classical marble sculpture of a reclining nude woman with a bow, a deer, and a hound.
Fountain of Diana showing a reclining marble figure with a deer and hound beside her.
© Kazimierz Chłędowski · Public domain
Black-and-white photograph of Diana with a stag sculpture, showing a reclining female figure beside a deer with large antlers in an interior gallery.
Diana with a stag, displayed in an interior gallery setting.
© · Public domain
The Fountain of Diana with a reclining female figure, a deer, and a two-tiered basin in a tree-filled park.
The Fountain of Diana, topped by a reclining female figure and a deer, stands in a landscaped park.
© Vauzelle, Jean-Lubin (1776-1837). Dessinateur · Public domain
Marble sculpture of Diana seated with a bow, a large deer, and two hounds on a stone base.
Fountain of Diana, showing Diana seated with a bow beside a deer and two hounds.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleFountain of Diana
Alternative namesDiane d'Anet; Diana of Anet; Diana with a deer; Diana with a stag; Diane au cerf; Diane appuyée sur un cerf; Fontaine de Diane
TypeMarble Mannerist sculpture

Historical context

DateMid-16th century

Creator

AttributionThe sculptor is uncertain; former attributions include Jean Goujon, Benvenuto Cellini, and Germain Pilon, with Germain Pilon often proposed as the most likely artist. Ponce Jacquiot has also been suggested.
Associated architectPhilibert de L'Orme

Discovery and provenance

Related drawingThe Louvre preserves a drawing of the original fountain by an unknown 16th-century artist; Jacques Androuet du Cerceau also engraved it in its original setting
Patron/ownerDiane de Poitiers
Original locationThe upper part of a monumental fountain in the courtyard of the Château d'Anet, built for Diane de Poitiers

Physical characteristics

SubjectDiane de Poitiers depicted as the goddess Diana
PoseSeated
Main figuresDiana, a large stag, and two dogs
DogsPhrocyon, a greyhound, and Cyrius (or Kiriy), a barbet
AttributesDiana holds a bow and embraces the stag's neck
Pedestal monogramsH and D, referring to Henry II of France and Diane de Poitiers

Materials

Main materialMarble
Later additionsA gilded bronze bow and gilding on the stag's antlers were added in the 19th century

Appearance

StyleNude classical goddess figure
Original fountain featuresWater jets came from the mouths and penises of the two dogs on the pedestal

Iconography and meaning

InterpretationAn allegorical figure of Diane de Poitiers in the guise of Diana, not a true portrait
Symbolic meaningThe stag is understood to represent Henry II, Diane de Poitiers's lover
ContextA work situated between Italian Mannerism and French Classicism

Location and ownership

Current locationLouvre Museum, Paris, Richelieu Wing, ground floor, Room 214 (formerly 15b)
Current title in museumDiane appuyée sur un cerf
Inventory numberMR 1581 MR sup 123

History and restoration

RestorationHeavily restored by Pierre-Nicolas Beauvallet in 1799–1800 before installation in the Louvre
Previous conditionThe original ensemble differed from the present form, with the stag's head and the left dog positioned differently
Later modificationsIn the 19th century, Pierre-Maximilien Delafontaine added the gilded bronze bow and gilding to the stag's antlers
Related later drawingA drawing by Jacques Gentilhâtre in the Library of the Royal Institute of British Architects shows the sculpture much as it appears today

Significance

Art-historical importanceConsidered one of the first large nude figures in French sculpture and one of the first major French garden sculptures
Artistic significanceOne of the most famous works of the French Renaissance and a witness to mid-16th-century artistic tensions

Other

Copies and reproductionsMarble copies survive in the courtyard of the Château d'Anet, the park of the Château de Rambouillet, and at the entrance to the Hunting Museum in Senlis; a bronze replica was installed in Nobel Park, Stockholm, in 1964
Related worksDiana the Huntress by a member of the School of Fontainebleau; Le Bain de Diane by François Clouet
Notes on attributionThe traditional attribution to Jean Goujon is now generally rejected, and the authorship remains contested