Lady as Diana

The fashion of having one’s portrait painted in the guise of an ancient goddess was indeed outdated at the time of Louis XVI, yet it had not gone completely out of style. In this portrait by Villers, a young lady wears the curly wig and the chemise dress of her time. Several features, though, show her as the ancient goddess of the hunt, Diana: her shoulders are adorned with a leopard skin, in her left hand she holds a bow, and a crescent hangs above her head. Diana was one of the most popular roles in 18th century portrait painting. The goddess was considered decidedly chaste and remote, and was fond of the freedom and solitude of the forests. The young beauty in Villers’ miniature also flirts with these qualities. She seems to invite the observer to follow her into the woods. With her right arm she wants to break her way through the foliage.

Although the work has lost the power of its original bright colours, the miniature shows great talent. It was designed simply and distinctly and appears natural in spite of the theatrical costume. Together with some trees and a patch of sky, the painter succeeded in suggesting a considerable depth of image and in transporting the lady, sitting for the artist in his studio, into a fictitious landscape scene.

Imitations of ancient, classically styled roles are rare in Villers’ oeuvre. Apart from this miniature, only one other is known to date, showing a young unknown lady as a water nymph.¹

B. P.