HUNTING HERMÈS
How Christophe Lemaire evoked a modern day Artemis on the runway of his first collection for Hermès in 2011... Though Artemis, the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo, is the Greek goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, the Moon, and chastity, she is often considered an earlier equivalent to Ancient Rome’s Diana, considered a patroness of the countryside, hunters, crossroads, and the Moon. Both goddesses are typically shown with the accoutrements of an archer in Ancient Greco-Roman art. Perhaps it’s no coincidence for Lemaire, that Hermès was also a child of Zeus, the Greek god of trade, the god of eloquence and a luck-bringing messenger of the Gods...
Diana of Versailles (Greek Huntress Artemis) • Circa 2nd Quarter of the 2nd Century A.D. • Imperial Rome • Musée du Louvre, Paris
The Diana of Versailles or Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, is a slightly over-lifesize marble statue of the Roman goddess Diana with a deer. Once displayed in the Grande Galerie (Hall of Mirrors) of Versailles by Louis XIV, it is now on view in the Salle des Caryatides at the Musée du Louvre. This ancient masterpiece is in fact, a partially restored Roman copy (1st or 2nd Century AD) of a lost Greek bronze original attributed to Leochares, C. 325 BC.
Stereograph of Diana of Versailles • Circa 1900 • Underwood & Underwood • Image courtesy of The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Red-figured clay mixing bowl or bell krater depicting a scene in which Artemis punishes Aktaion by turning him into a stag causing his own dogs to tear him to pieces • Circa 470 B.C. • Early Classical Period • Attica, Greece • The Pan Painter • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Study of the upper part of the statue of Artemis in the Braccio Nuovo Gallery of the Chiaramonti Museum, Vatican • Circa 1768 - 1805 • Vincenzo Pacetti • The British Museum, London
Detail of a red-figured clay mixing bowl or bell krater depicting a scene in which Artemis punishes Aktaion by turning him into a stag causing his own dogs to tear him to pieces • Circa 470 B.C. • Early Classical Period • Attica, Greece • The Pan Painter • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Stereograph of Diana of Versailles • Circa 1868 - 1870 • Johann Friedrich Stiehm • Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Diana of Versailles (Greek Huntress Artemis) • Circa 2nd Quarter of the 2nd Century A.D. • Imperial Rome • Musée du Louvre, Paris
Statue of Diana Galleria Giustiniana del Marchese • Circa 1640 • Giovanni Battista Ruggieri • Print by Michel Natalis • Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Albumen print of Diana of Versailles • Circa 1880 • F.S. & Co.
Red-figured terracotta oil flask or lekythos depicting Artemis with bow and quiver • Circa 460 – 450 B.C. • Classical Period • Attica, Greece • Attributed to the Carlsruhe Painter • The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York CIty
An etching of a sleeping Diana with a bow in her right hand • Circa 1737 - 1756 • Dominique Sornique after a painting by Antonio Correggio • The British Museum, London
Versailles : Fontaine de Diane • Circa 1901 • Jardens de Versailles, France • Eugène Atget • Image courtesy of Gallica Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Print of a nude Diana holding an arrow in her raised right hand • 1526 • Jacopo Caraglio • The British Museum, London
Diana of Versailles (Greek Huntress Artemis) • Circa 2nd Quarter of the 2nd Century A.D. • Imperial Rome • Musée du Louvre, Paris
Statue of Diana in the Garden of Versailles Le Soir • Circa 1703 - 1754 • Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Albumen print of Diana the Huntress looming large at La Fontaine de Diane, Jardens de Versailles, France • Circa 1900 • Eugène Atget • Image courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Red-figured clay bowl featuring Artemis and Apollo • Circa 470 B.C. • Classical Period • Athens • The Briseis Painter • Musée du Louvre, Paris
Print depicting Diana in the sky with her bow in her left hand and an arrow in her right hand (Decoration of a Pendentive) • 1704 • Print by Giovanni Girolamo Frezza after painting by Francesco Albania • The British Museum, London
Study of the Diane de Versailles • Circa 1684 - 1685 • Sir Godfrey Kneller • The British Museum, London
Red-figured terracotta oil flask or lekythos depicting Artemis drawing an arrow from her quiver • Circa 480 B.C. • Classical Period • Attica, Greece • Attributed to the Providence Painter • The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York CIty
Diana the Huntress Accompanied by Her Dogs Standing in a Niche • Circa 16th Century • Giulio Bonasone • The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York CIty
Versailles : Fontaine de Diane • Circa 1901 • Jardens de Versailles, France • Eugène Atget • Image courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art, New York City
Diana : Statue of the nude goddess standing on a socle, wearing a crescent moon in her hair and holding a bow and arrow • 1586 • From Statues of Roman Gods after Jacques Jonghelinck • Philips Galle • The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York CIty
Diana of Versailles (Greek Huntress Artemis) • Circa 2nd Quarter of the 2nd Century A.D. • Imperial Rome • Musée du Louvre, Paris
Statue of Diana in the East Gallery of the City Hall on Dam Square • 1655 • Hubert Quellinus • Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Stereograph of Diana of Versailles • Circa 1882 • Verlag von Sophus Williams • Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Versailles : Fontaine de Diane • Circa 1901 • Jardens de Versailles, France • Eugène Atget
