Frans Francken the Younger, the goddess Diana – as a three-figure moon goddess of fertility, hunting and witchcraft, around 1606
Oil on copper; framed
50.5 x 66.5 cmThe central picture theme, the goddess Diana, is her nudity on display here only with a cloth covered on the banks of a river. It is surrounded by partly also undressed, but also partly elegantly dressed female figures. According to her traditional portrayal in art, as the goddess of hunting, she holds an arrow in her hand and two of her hunting dogs sit with her while hunters rush a deer in the background. The fact that Diana, the mistress of forests and groves, does not tolerate intruders in her home, underscores Actäon's story: After the young hunter had observed Diana and her nymphs bathing, the goddess ruthlessly transformed him into a deer that was torn apart by his own dogs.
This dark, unbridled side of her character also indicates that Symbol of the night: the crescent of the moon on its loose hair. In the time of Frans Francken, nights were considered ominous. In this painting, Diana – like her companions, who seem seductive through nudity, music or open-hearted clothing – can be interpreted not only as a symbol of seduction, but also as a "succubus", a demon. The idea of female "Succubi" has been handed down throughout Europe since the Middle Ages. These witches, according to tradition, were to rape the sleeping ones in order to multiply, so that they would fall away from the Catholic faith and convert to Satan and magic. In the ancient belief, Diana was considered a pagan goddess who would follow countless women in a society of devil disciples (societas Dianae). The presence of this faith in Frans Francken's lifetime is underlined by a decree on witch-hunting issued in 1606 by the arch-Catholic Habsburgs resident in Brussels, the Archdukes Albrecht and Isabella. So it is hardly surprising that the artist prefers to deal with witch themes at that time and that several "witch kitchens" created around 1604/06 have a stylistic and motivating closeness to the present painting.
Besides the many erotic nymphs, however, there are bourgeois-dressed young women on the left side of the picture with a lavishly laid table. They also embody a "Diana Society" and thus show Diana's positive side as the goddess of women. They allude to the special concerns of young women, such as children's desire, easy delivery or good marriage, – desires that Diana was also asked to fulfil.In this painting, Frans Francken interprets the traditional literary concept of "societas Dianae" in a contemporary way and translates it vividly into his own reality. The artist here shows what Diana, the moon goddess, was responsible for: she is obviously a slayer, ruler of witches, but also goddess of fertility. Paintings with such complex contents were created for clients from a humanistically formed environment – that is, theologians, scholars or personalities of the Brussels Court. Discourses before paintings by art connoisseurs at that time belonged to the task of such knowledgeable, in the best sense stimulating compositions (cf. detailed expert report by Dr. Ursula Härting, 22. ==References====External links==* Official website ==References====External links==*Frans Francken the Younger*Goddess Diana – as Three-Shaped Moon Goddess of Fertility, Hunting and Witchcraft
c. 1606
oil on copper; framed
50,5 x 66,5 cmCertificate by Dr. Ursula Härting, Hamm, 22 July 2017, is closed. Difference taxed (30% in the surcharge is a 20% VAT included) / Differential Taxation (30%) including 20% sales tax)

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