Bacchanal

Carpioni, Giulio (1613-1678)

Item type:

painting

Date of creation:

1660-1665

Height:

81.0 cm  (31 7/8 in.)

Width:

100.0 cm  (39 3/8 in.)

Technique / Medium:

oil on canvas

Description

From the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum website: In the present bacchanal, set outdoors among ruins, Carpioni depicts Bacchus lying among a group of bacchantes and crowned with vine leaves. The old woman next to him and leaning towards him is the only clothed figure. The artist makes use of various diagonals that mark the stepped rhythm of the groups on the left of the canvas. Of these, the most pronounced is the one formed by Bacchus’ head and those of the women immediately surrounding him. This line runs up to a figure that looks back and upwards and is located in the shadows behind the god. The stepped arrangement is repeated in the centre of the composition, assisted by two very large blocks of stone with the figure of an old man resting on them and two children standing on top. In order to balance the composition, Carpioni included a striking group of children on the right who dance to a satyr’s music.

Iconclass

92L1791
bacchanal: Bacchus with his wine-flushed train (thiasos)

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Tambourine [2746]
Cymbals [2451]
End-blown flute [3940]

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 1

RIdIM record id

5614