Nymph with panther

It is thought that this statue can be identified as the “Diana con pardo” mentioned by Vasari in the Nicchie Room in Pitti Palace. This statue joined the Medici collection towards the mid-16th century, and was probably placed in the Uffizi at the end of that century. It has been restored on numerous occasions over the centuries, including: the head and body, the left arm and breast, and also the right hand and leg, all added, as well as the panther’s head (pertinent to the body, however). Although previously believed to be a Diana the huntress, or even a Maenad, it has recently been suggested that the sculpture is a nymph in Alexandrine style, depicted with a panther in reference to the hunting domain of Hellenistic Egypt. This piece should however be understood as an eclectic reworking by a Roman artist, datable to between the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D.

3D model in collaboration with Indiana University.
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