Diana, allegory of the night. Pendent to Apollo, allegory of the day.

Van den Hoecke employs the rich coloration and dynamic movement typical of Flemish Baroque painting. The cherubic figures are rendered with soft, rounded forms that contrast with Diana’s composed stance, and the background suggests an elaborate gilded ceiling, adding a theatrical architectural frame to the scene.

A pupil of Peter Paul Rubens in the 1630s, van den Hoecke later worked in Rome, Vienna, and Brussels, serving as a court painter. *Diana, allegory of the night* remained in the Habsburg collection and was eventually transferred to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it is displayed alongside its companion piece.

The diptych reflects the 17th‑century fascination with allegorical personifications of day and night, a motif often employed in courtly decoration. By pairing Diana with Apollo, the artist creates a visual dialogue that underscores the cyclical nature of time and the celestial order.