''Diana and Endymion'', also known in French as ''Diane et Endymion'', is an 1822

oil-on-canvas Oil painting is a painting method involving the procedure of painting with pigments combined with a drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on canvas, wood panel, or copper for several centuries. ...

painting by

Jérôme-Martin Langlois Jerome-Martin Langlois (11 March 1779 – 28 December 1838) was a French Neoclassical style painter. He was trained by painter Jacques-Louis David and he was a Knight of the Legion of Honour. Early life He was born in Paris on 11 March 1779. Hi ...

. The painting depicts the Roman goddess

Diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), ...

, one of the twelve Gods and Goddesses of Olympus, falling in love with

Endymion Endymion primarily refers to: * Endymion (mythology), an Ancient Greek shepherd * ''Endymion'' (poem), by John Keats Endymion may also refer to: Fictional characters * Prince Endymion, a character in the ''Sailor Moon'' anime franchise * Ra ...

and is painted in the

Neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

History

The painting is by French artist

. It was displayed to acclaim at the

Salon of 1819 The Salon of 1819 was an art exhibition held at the Louvre in Paris between 25 August and 30 September 1819. It was the largest Salon to be staged since the fall of Napoleon. It took place during the Restoration era with Louis XVIII on the thron ...

and was completed in 1822 having been commissioned by

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...

for his Salon of Diane at the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

. The

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940, after the Fall of France durin ...

acquired the work in 1873, and it was displayed at the

Musée de Picardie The Musée de Picardie is the main museum of Amiens and Picardy, in France. It is located at 48, rue de la République, Amiens. Its collections include artifacts ranging from prehistory to the 19th century, and form one of the largest regio ...

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...

from 1878. It was believed that the work was destroyed in the bombing of Amiens in 1918 during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The painting had been part of the collection of the museum that had been evacuated to the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

in Paris for safekeeping. The painting was missing from the works that were returned to Amiens from the Louvre after the end of the war. It was initially described as "untraceable since the return of the 1918 removed works" and subsequently as "destroyed by the falling of a bomb on the museum". An engraving of Langlois's ''Diana and Endymion'' was submitted by M. Muller to the French National Institute in 1843.Vattemare, Alexandre. ''International Literary Exchanges Between France and the United States: A Collection of Pamphlets'' 1848, pg 27.

Description

The painting is painted in the

and it is a depiction of one of the twelve Gods and Goddesses of Olympus: the Roman goddess

. She is falling in love with

. The painting is an

and its dimensions are x . In the painting just above a sleeping

is a flying

cupid In classical mythology, Cupid ( , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the god of war Mars. He is also known as Amor (Latin: ...

. Suspended in the air above and to the left of cupid is Diana with a

quiver A quiver is a container for holding arrows or Crossbow bolt, bolts. It can be carried on an archer's body, the bow, or the ground, depending on the type of shooting and the archer's personal preference. Quivers were traditionally made of leath ...

on her back. Diana appears to be admiring the sleeping Endymion.

is sleeping with his right arm behind his head. In his left hand he holds a spear. He is resting on a tiger skin and there is a dog lying at his feet.

Ownership

In 1989 at an auction in New York, the American performer

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

paid $1.3 million (equivalent to $ million in ) for a painting believed to be "almost identical" to the missing ''Diana and Endymion'' itself, but undated and without Langlois's signature. The painting Madonna purchased is smaller than the original and could be either a copy or the original painting with the date and signature removed. It was identified by an art curator from Amiens in the 2015 issue of ''

Paris Match ''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly gossip magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. ''Paris Match'' has been considered "one of the world's best outlets for photojournalism". ...

'' magazine that featured a photograph of Madonna's home. The

has subsequently commenced legal action against unknown persons for the painting's theft. Madonna is not connected to the legal action by the city, and the Mayor of Amiens, Brigitte Fouré, does not contest that Madonna acquired the painting legally. Fouré appealed to Madonna to loan the painting to the city in a video in January 2023 so "our local inhabitants can rediscover this work and enjoy it". Amiens is bidding to be the

European Capital of Culture A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can ...

in 2028.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Diana and Endymion 1822 paintings Paintings by Jérôme-Martin Langlois Angels in art Madonna Neoclassical paintings Paintings of Diana (mythology) Paintings of Cupid Nude paintings of men Nude paintings of children Nude paintings of women