Bacchanale
about 1720–1730
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 118.1 × 148.6 cm
- Status
- In Museum Collection
- Collect24 Art ID
- C24-137786
Nymphs and satyrs participate in an ancient pagan feast celebrating Bacchus, the god of wine. Twisting, dancing, singing, and playing musical instruments, the small figures engage in unrestrained revelry, somewhat at odds with the dignified background of classical ruins. Alessandro Magnasco use a limited color palette for this painting, adding bright blue accents to represent swirling drapery. He created figures using quick, intuitive strokes of paint, producing a composition that appears full of movement. Magnasco painted this work, along with its pendant (also in the Getty’s collection), *[The Triumph of Venus](http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/650/)*, in Milan early in his career. His collaborator, Clemente Spera (c. 1661–1742), likely painted the architectural elements, which would explain the stark contrast between the linear, refined brushwork of the ruins and the more sketchy quality of Magnasco’s figures.
Provenance
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Registry history
- about 1720–1730 — Recorded in the collection of J. Paul Getty Museum
Registered on Collect24
The identity of the collector is never published. Purchase information, documents and the exact location of the artwork remain private.
Ownership not yet verified on Collect24
This artwork is documented in the Global Art Registry, but no Collect24 account is linked to it as the owner. Claiming keeps this record and its Collect24 Art ID — nothing is created a second time.
Do you own or represent this artwork? Claim this artwork →Auction history
Public sale records matched to this work. Ownership is never disclosed.
Loading sale records…