(Gotha 1802–1866)
Diana and her Nymphs Bathing, signed, dated E. Jacobs.1846., oil on canvas, 155 x 202 cm, framed

Provenance:
Christie’s London, 12 February 1993, lot 44;
Private Collection, Italy.

Catalogued in:
Werkverzeichnis Gothaer Hofmaler Paul Emil Jacobs, no. 118.

We are grateful to Rudolf W. L. Jacobs, Archiv der Schleswig-Thueringischen Familie Jacobs and Werkverzeichnis Gothaer Hofmaler Paul Emil Jacobs, for kindly confirming the authenticity on the basis of a high-resolution photograph.

Paul Emil Jacobs studied at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. He went to Rome in 1824 where he attracted the attention of critics for his painting The Raising of Lazarus. The Greek War of Independence, which took place when he was in the early stage of his artistic career, provided him with substantial subjects such as the Two Greek Freedom Fighters. The Greek struggle was shared by many European artists of his generation.

Jacobs was noted for his mastery of nudes such as the present lot. It depicts the Goddess Diana and her Nymphs bathing in a stream of clear water after a hunt. The Goddess is shown with her bow and arrows hanging on a tree on the left and a quiver of arrows on her shoulder. She wears her traditional crescent-moon ornament in her hair and is depicted barefoot in a large tunic. She is accompanied by two dogs in the foreground.

An inscription written on the frame on the reverse Willams & Everett might refer to the famous gallery in Boston run by Henry Dudley Williams and William Everett. The firm was established in 1855 and sold picture frames and artworks by American and European artists.