Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Diana and Cupid

1761
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 627
Sir Humphrey Morice (1723–1785), son of a wealthy merchant and director of the Bank of England, commissioned this image of the goddess of hunting. It hung as a pendant, or companion piece, to Batoni’s portrait of Morice re-clining in the Roman countryside next to his dogs, rifle, and dead game. Together, the works contrast modern and ancient Rome in the manner of Giovanni Paolo Panini’s two canvases found nearby. Diana’s distinctive pose is based on a famous ancient statue of the sleeping Cretan princess Ariadne. Batoni inserts a literal tension into this otherwise staid composition with the elegantly lifted bow, which Diana withholds from Cupid.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Diana and Cupid
  • Artist: Pompeo Batoni (Italian, Lucca 1708–1787 Rome)
  • Date: 1761
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 49 x 68 in. (124.5 x 172.7 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, The Charles Engelhard Foundation, Robert Lehman Foundation Inc., Mrs. Haebler Frantz, April R. Axton, L. H. P. Klotz, and David Mortimer Gifts; and Gifts of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, George Blumenthal, and J. Pierpont Morgan, Bequests of Millie Bruhl Fredrick and Mary Clark Thompson, and Rogers Fund, by exchange, 1982
  • Object Number: 1982.438
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

Audio

Cover Image for 5096. Diana and Cupid

5096. Diana and Cupid

0:00
0:00
We're sorry, the transcript for this audio track is not available at this time. Please email info@metmuseum.org to request a transcript for this track.

More Artwork

More Artwork
Portrait of a Young Man, Pompeo Batoni Italian, Oil on canvas
Portrait of a Young Man
Pompeo Batoni
ca. 1760–65
Lobster-Tail Burgonet, Steel, leather, gold, North Italian
Lobster-Tail Burgonet
North Italian
ca. 1610
Merry Company on a Terrace, Jan Steen Dutch, Oil on canvas
Merry Company on a Terrace
Jan Steen
ca. 1670
Dead Christ Supported by Angels, Francesco Trevisani Italian, Oil on canvas
Dead Christ Supported by Angels
Francesco Trevisani
ca. 1710
Allegory in Honor of Pope Benedict XIV, Pompeo Batoni Italian, Red chalk, highlighted with white, on beige paper
Allegory in Honor of Pope Benedict XIV
Pompeo Batoni
ca. 1745

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries and chronologies from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.