Teh fact tha Pittoni painted this subject more than once points both to his own popularity and to that of the elegant composition. In an Arcadian setting, Ariadne, abandoned by Theseus, is approached by Bacchus with his court of Satyrs and drunken followers dancing to the sound of fipple, flutes and tambourines. The skin beneath his red cloak alludes to the cheetas that usually draw his chariot, while Ariadne’s crown is the crown which the god cast into the sky in order to turn her into a constellation.
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TITLE
Bacchus and Ariadne
AUTHOR Giovan Battista Pittoni
DATE 1730 - 2
OBJECT TYPE AND MATERIAL Oil on canvas
DIMENSIONS cm 70 x 50
INVENTORY 5962
Work Not On Display
AUTHOR Giovan Battista Pittoni
DATE 1730 - 2
OBJECT TYPE AND MATERIAL Oil on canvas
DIMENSIONS cm 70 x 50
INVENTORY 5962
Work Not On Display