Diana Hunting is a painting that belongs to the studio of Peter Paul Rubens that you can admire at the Prado Museum in Madrid. Thanks to the company Waddington (which years later would become Waddingtons) we have this small and delightful puzzle version. It is unfortunate that jigsaw puzzle brands are not publishing puzzles with classic art anymore. Perhaps that’s why puzzle enthusiasts are still looking for these puzzles 50 years after Waddinton produced them.
The pieces have a lot of very different forms. In fact, there are not any rows or columns, like most contemporary puzzles. For that reason, I wouldn’t know whether the puzzle was complete or not just by verifying the pieces. It was a good excuse to put together this quality puzzle. The pieces are thick and solid. Due to the great variety of the cut, it was a very enjoyable experience (albeit short).
Diana the Huntress
In the center of the image we can see Diana, who was the goddess of the hunt, the moon, and nature, associated with wild animals and woodland, and having the power to talk to and control animals. She has the identifying crescent on her head. Several nymphs are surrounding her, and one of them is playing a horn, which was typical of these type of hunts.
Interestingly, although the title of the painting is Diana Hunting (in Spanish Diana Cazadora), the artist captures the moment just before the actual hunting. We don’t see the dogs attacking the prey and Diana and her nymphs using their spears and arrows. There is another painting by Rubens, also in the Prado Museum, where we see the actual hunting, but here we have a completely different scene. For that reason, the English title is not accurate. It should be Diana the Huntress.
The actual number of pieces of this copy is 455. However, there is at least another edition with a different cut and with 451 pieces. The puzzle will be listed in our online store and it will probably find a new home very soon.
450, Waddington, Diana Hunting, Peter Paul Rubens, 50 x 50 cm, Reference number 508.
