Pasquale Romanelli

Diana of the Louvre

Attributed to the Romanelli Studio
Florence, Italy
Diana of the Louvre
Marble
Diana was the goddess of the moon in ancient Greek and Roman mythology. She is often shown with a small crescent moon set among her curls and, here, that headdress has morphed into a crescent-shaped headband. She was also the goddess of the hunt, and this particular work is presumably a version of a well-known sculpture of Diana the huntress, running to pursue her prey and holding a bow and arrow. Created in about 1783 by the French artist Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828), it inspired many versions and imitations, including some that reduced the full figure of the goddess to just a bust-length portrait, as in this example by the Romanelli Studio. The most famous of Houdon’s casts of this sculpture is in the Louvre Museum in Paris and, thus, the title Diana of the Louvre.
This marble carving was the second work of art to enter the Des Moines Women’s Club collection. It was purchased in 1893 at the World’s Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World’s Fair). Three Club members traveled to the Exposition where they enlisted Lorado Taft as consultant in making their selection; Taft was one of the most prominent American sculptors of the time and a strong advocate for women in the arts. Daunted at first by the cost of the Diana, they solicited additional funds from the Club and were then able to bring the sculpture to Des Moines.