Statuette of Artemis (Diana)

Place of OriginAttributed to Turkey

Date100 BCE to 150 CE

DimensionsH: 12 1/4 in.; W: 5 1/2 in.; D: 4 3/4 in.;
Base: H: 3 in.; W: 4 7/8 in.; D: 4 7/8 in.;

MediumBronze, with possible traces of silver inlay

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1955.75

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic

DescriptionThis hollow-cast bronze statuette, created using the lost-wax (cire perdue) method, depicts the goddess Diana (Artemis) standing. She wears a short tunic, or chiton, belted at the waist, and elaborate, calf-length, open-toed boots. Her hair is gathered in a bun. Her right arm is raised, with her hand positioned over her head. Her left arm is bent at the elbow and extended forward, with the palm open. The eyes are hollow, likely once holding inlays of glass or precious metal. The statue features distinctive chiseled details: lozenge-shaped grooves around the breasts and parallel grooves along the hem of the tunic. These channels contain trace remnants of a greyish oxide, identified as probable silver inlay. Technical analysis confirms the right arm was broken and reattached in a modern restoration.

Label TextThe goddess Diana, known to the Greeks as Artemis, was worshipped as the divine hunter and protector of the wilderness. This bronze statuette shows her in her typical attire: a short, practical tunic and calf-length boots, ideal for moving through the forest. Her pose, with one arm resting over her head, was a Roman way of showing fatigue, perhaps suggesting she is resting after the chase.Published References

"Accessions," Art Quarterly, Winter 1956, p. 418, repr. p. 419, no. 3.

Bulletin, J. Paul Getty Museum of Art, Malibu, California, vol. 1, no. 1, 1957, p. 13.

"New Accessions," Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, new series, vol. 5, no. 3, Autumn 1962, p. 56, repr.