Venetian Renaissance · 1520-1523
Bacchus and Ariadne
Bacchus leaps from his chariot at the sight of Ariadne. Titian freezes love at first sight in a burst of blue, red and motion.
- Made
- 1520-1523
- Style
- Venetian Renaissance
- Collection
- The National Gallery, London
From museum to game table
The in-game crop
The card adds paint spaces, rewards and a frame. This crop shows the artwork area used during play, without the card rails.
The short history
What happened here?
The painting was made for Alfonso I d'Este's private suite in Ferrara. It belonged to a series of mythological scenes designed for close, learned viewing.
Ariadne has been abandoned by Theseus, whose ship appears at the far left. Bacchus arrives with a noisy group of followers and promises her a place among the stars.
Titian used some of the strongest pigments then available. Ultramarine fills the sky. Bacchus's red drapery cuts across it while his body hangs in midair, an unusually bold pose for the period.
Look closer
Three details worth finding
- 1Theseus's tiny ship leaving the island
- 2Ariadne's crown becoming a constellation
- 3The cheetahs pulling Bacchus's chariot
Sources
Read further
Museum records come first. Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons provide useful public background and image records.