Diana and Endymion (Langlois)
Diana and Endymion, also known in French as Diane et Endymion, is an 1822 oil painting by French artist Jérôme‑Martin Langlois. In the Neoclassical style, it shows the Roman goddess Diana falling in love with Endymion. A flying Cupid hovers above, while Diana, with a quiver on her back, watches Endymion, who sleeps on a tiger skin with a dog at his feet and holds a spear.
The painting measures 320 cm by 211 cm (130 in by 83 in).
History and location: Langlois created the work for Louis XVIII for his Salon at the Palace of Versailles after it had been shown to acclaim at the Salon of 1819. It came into public collection and was housed at the Musée de Picardie in Amiens from 1878. It was believed destroyed in the 1918 bombing of Amiens during World War I after the painting, evacuated to the Louvre for safekeeping, did not return with the others after the war.
An engraving of the work by M. Muller was published in 1843 for the French National Institute.
In 1989, the American singer Madonna bought a painting in New York for about $1.3 million that was thought to be almost identical to Langlois’s missing Diana and Endymion, though it is undated and unsigned and could be a copy or the original with the date and signature removed. A 2015 Paris Match report noted the connection to the missing work. The Musée de Picardie has begun legal action against unknown people for the painting’s theft. Madonna is not named in the case, and in 2023 Amiens’ mayor urged Madonna to loan the painting to the city so locals can see it. Amiens is bidding to be European Capital of Culture in 2028.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:42 (CET).