Diana slapend onder een boom c. 1677

Cornelis Bloemaert made this print, Diana Sleeping Under a Tree, sometime in the 17th century. Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, is here shown reclining, at rest. What does it tell us about the social role of women in the Netherlands at that time? In the Dutch Golden Age, artists frequently alluded to classical mythology. The story of Diana was often used to evoke ideas about purity, the wilderness, and the power of nature. But this was also a society in which women were expected to be demure, domestic, and obedient. How do we read this image of a powerful, independent woman within that context? To explore this, we can examine the artistic conventions of the time. Were there other images of women that challenged or reinforced social norms? How did institutions such as the family and the church shape the representation of women in art? By researching these questions, we can better understand the complex interplay between art and society in the 17th century Netherlands.