[3] Domenichino was a student of Flemish art, and studied under the artist Denys Calvaert,[4] until he moved to Rome where he worked in the teams employed by the Carracci, including the frescoes designed by Annibale for the Palazzo Farnese[5][6] where he acquired the nickname Domenichino, meaning little Domenico.

[5] Aldobrandini's collection of Titian works came from confiscated goods after the d'Este family was annexed from Rome and featured The Worship of Venus and The Bacchanal of the Andrians.

[11] The majority of the Borghese collection was forcefully acquired from other artists and patrons after they had been either exiled or stripped of power and wealth.

As the title states, the subject matter is that of a mythological scene depicting Diana, the goddess of the hunt, the moon, virginity, and wild animals This painting shows Domenichino's capability with landscape painting as well as his knowledge and familiarity with antiquity art styles.

[12] The men within the painting serve as allegories, representing all manner of things; namely, spying, lust, risk, and ultimately, the danger that they are putting themselves in due to their own actions.

[12] Diana is most easily identifiable in this painting due to the upside-down crescent moon tiara on her head.

[13] The painting depicts, as the title states, an archery contest with the goddess Diana and the nymphs that were her followers.

As discussed in many classical sources such as Virgil's Aeneid, Hesiod's Theogony as well as Homer's epic poem The Iliad, this scene is depicting the goddess and the others after a hunt.

[5] Domenichino believed that depicting large scale events was the proper way to immerse the viewer into the work, rather than simply telling the bones of the story.

[8] Early in a pope's reign, they would appoint their nephews, typically their closest male relative, to a high position of power.

[11] Allowing the family of the pope and unelected or under-qualified officials into these positions of power more often led to superfluous spending of the church's money.