Jean Francois I Millet (1642-1679)
| Artist Name | Jean Francois I Millet (1642-1679) |
|---|---|
| Title | Diana Hunting in a Wooded Landscape |
| Description | This superb French Old Master oil painting with excellent provenance is by Jean Francois I Millet. It was painted circa 1675 and is a figurative landscape depicting Diana hunting in a wooded landscape. Diana is a goddess in Greek mythology, also known as Artemis. She is associated with the moon and hunting. Diana symbolises strength, independence and female empowerment. Her mythology, depictions in art, and worship are significant in Greek and Roman cultures. Diana is in the foreground and another figure is to her left. Several dogs are running after a deer amongst the trees and in the distance a castle can be seen and mountains beyond. The details and brushwork are superb and it is in good condition for its age. This is a delightful country house French Od Master 17th century oil painting, housed in a gilded carved 18th century frame. |
| Provenance | South England Estate.
The Fine Art Society 1947. Sotheby London May 22nd 1987 lot 182. Christies South Kensington April 14th 1999 lot 371. |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Size | 30 x 25 inches |
| Frame | Housed in a gilded carved 18th century frame, 40 inches by 35 inches and in good condition. |
| Condition | Good condition |
| Biography | Jean-François Millet, by name Francisque, (baptized April 27, 1642, [Belgium]—buried June 3, 1679, Paris, Fr.), French painter whose serene landscapes made him one of the most influential followers of Nicolas Poussin in 17th-century France. Millet is generally classed among the painters of Flanders because of the location of his birth, but his father was a Frenchman who, while on service with the prince of Condé in Antwerp, apprenticed his son to a painter there. Francisque left with the painter for Paris, where he settled in 1660 after marrying his master’s daughter. He was received as a member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture at Paris in 1673. Francisque’s paintings of Italian and Arcadian scenery, though derivative, were graceful and effective. Twelve of his most important landscapes in the Tuileries were destroyed by fire; and, though many of his pieces may still be found catalogued, a great number remain unknown and unacknowledged. |
| Price | £12000 |
