Armed Venus or Diana the Huntress, Italy late 17th century

A white statuary marble sculpture, probably Carrara, depicting a young woman standing in a gentle contrapposto on a rocky base. It is a Venetian work, more precisely from Padua. With her torso bare, she holds an ample drapery at her hip with one hand. The drapery wraps around her waist and falls in deep folds along her right leg. Her other hand, with long and slender fingers, rests on her chest in a gesture both modest and self-assured. Her arm leans on a large oval shield carved in low relief with a quiver of arrows. This detail combines the iconography of Diana the Huntress with that of the Armed Venus, the Venus Victrix of antiquity. Her head, slightly turned, wears a pointed crown set on wavy hair that falls in locks down the nape of her neck. Her face, with soft features and a serene expression, is characteristic of late Baroque taste. A tree trunk and a rock support the composition. The polished, luminous treatment of the flesh contrasts with the rougher surfaces of the base. Intended for an interior setting, the work has kept a fine surface, with a beautiful patina and a few minor signs of wear. It is an elegant example of the Italian decorative statuary made for the palaces and collections of the period.