Bacchus and Ariadne

Bacchus hangs in mid-air, caught between his chariot and the woman he has just seen. Ariadne turns towards him while the ship of Theseus, who abandoned her, recedes in the distance. Titian compresses loss, surprise and a new encounter into the same bright scene. The subject comes from ancient stories retold by the poets Ovid and Catullus. Bacchus, god of wine, falls in love with the Cretan princess on the island of Naxos. The stars above her head recall the crown he will turn into a constellation. Titian painted the picture between 1520 and 1523 for Alfonso d’Este, Duke of Ferrara. It belonged to a room decorated with mythological scenes of drinking, music and love. The lively crowd behind the god brings those activities into the picture. In a reproduction, follow the strong blue sky, Ariadne’s clothing and the god’s flying cloak. The colours help separate the principal encounter from the procession, while Bacchus’s suspended body makes the moment feel unfinished and full of movement.