Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, sleeps outdoors, leaning on a boulder and wrapped in a leopard skin. She wears her symbol, the crescent moon, on her head and her clothes are of classical inspiration. She is accompanied by her bow and arrows and a hunting horn.

Van Loo painted numerous mythological scenes, generally characterized by a certain degree of eroticism. This was in keeping with the tastes of eighteenth-century French art, where such representations facilitated a subtle and sensual depiction of female nudes.