This essay in the manner of Titian, a rare engagement on Wilkie’s part with the subject of the nude, likely takes as its primary inspiration Titian’s work of the same name and its companion piece Diana and Callisto (jointly owned by the National Gallery, London and National Gallery, Edinburgh), which Wilkie would have seen in the collection of the Marquis of Strafford. The nymph to the far right seems to have been drawn from the figure of Ariadne in Bacchus and Ariadne (National Gallery, London), Wilkie has even dressed her in corresponding blue and red.
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The painting is on a panel support, made up of a single board. The panel is stable. In natural light the painting presents very well, with the delicate glazes well preserved. The paint is stable. Examination under UV light reveals some small retouchings to the fleshtones, with the intricacies of composition fully appreciable.
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Lot 203Sale 20056
Diana and ActaeonSIR DAVID WILKIE, R.A. (CULTS, FIFE 1785-1841 GIBRALTAR)Estimate: GBP 5,000 - 8,000
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