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Landscape with Cephalus and Procris reunited by Diana

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Diana, goddess of hunting, stands between the huntsman Cephalus and his wife Procris. Procris gives her husband a spear, carried here by an attendant, and a magic dog. The painting is loosely based on a story in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The title suggests that the pair are being reunited after a falling out caused by Procris’s jealousy, but Ovid does not mention Diana being at the reunion. Later in the story, Cephalus accidentally kills Procris with his spear. Perhaps Claude intended his painting to show an alternative happier ending, where Procris is brought back to life. The composition is inspired by Claude’s trips to the countryside near Rome. Large trees in the centre, painted with precise brushstrokes, frame the figures. The warm, pink sky highlights the subtle green tones and the contrast between light and shade on the foliage and foreground landscape.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Landscape with Cephalus and Procris reunited by Diana

Date

1645

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 101.5 x W 132.8 cm

Accession number

NG2

Acquisition method

Bought, 1824

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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