Diana op een strijdwagen after 1656

This print shows Diana on a chariot, made by an anonymous artist. The image presents us with the mythological goddess Diana riding a chariot pulled by stags with Cupid flying above her. Images like these draw on a visual language rooted in classical antiquity, one that was revived during the Renaissance. They harken back to a time when art served to legitimize power and status. This iconography would have been very familiar to viewers in Europe. The presence of Diana, the goddess of the hunt, and Cupid, the god of love, signals wealth, education, and worldliness on the part of the patron who commissioned the work. Art historians explore the sources available from the period in which the work was made such as letters, inventories, literature, and other artworks. With these resources we can begin to understand the original social context of art.