Bust of Diana of Versailles

Alabaster
Italy
19th Century
50 x 27 cm (19.7 x 10.6 in)

This alabaster bust is an imitation of the famous Diana the Huntress of Ephesus, also known as the Diana of Versailles, first recorded at Fontainebleau in 1568. Like other antiquities exported from Italy before the second half of the 17th century, the Diana the Huntress achieved a level of renown across Europe comparable to the masterpieces held in the papal and princely collections of Italy.

Despite the fact that the statue had not been seen in Rome or Italy for over two centuries, Panini included it in one of his vedute. It was during this same period that numerous reproductions—full-scale, miniature, or partial—began to be produced based on the Versailles antique.

This finely carved alabaster bust, which features a slight variation in posture from the original antique, dates to this era (spanning the second half of the 18th century to the first half of the 19th century).