DOMENICHINO
(b. 1581, Bologna, d. 1641, Napoli)

Diana and her Nymphs (detail)

1616-17
Oil on canvas
Galleria Borghese, Rome

The painting represents a supreme idealization of the ancient myth, evoked as a fable in the unbridled but exquisitely calculated play of the nymphs. The search for a classical balance mitigates the soft sensuality of the bathing figures, just as the dazzling colours are tempered by the atmospheric effect of the glazing, clearly visible after the recent restoration.