Bacchus (Leonardo da Vinci)
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| Bacchus |
|---|
| Leonardo da Vinci , 1510-1515 |
| oil on wood |
| 177 × 115 cm |
| Louvre, Paris |
Bacchus ( it . : Bacco ) is a painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519). It is dated around 1510 to 1515 and is in the holdings of the Louvre in Paris.
The work
The painting shows a seated, male figure with leopard skin in an idyllic landscape. He points to his left with his right hand. With his left hand he grabs the Thyrsus staff and points with his index finger at the earth.
The painting was originally titled John the Baptist . In the late 17th century, between 1683 and 1693, it was modified and painted over to depict Bacchus , the Roman god of wine and intoxication. In 1683 it was inventoried in the catalog of the royal collection of Fontainebleau Castle as "Saint Jean au désert" (German: "Saint John in the desert"). In 1693 it was called "Bacchus dans un paysage" ("Bacchus in a landscape"). The original title has been crossed out.
The Roman scholar and patron Cassiano dal Pozzo (1588–1657), who saw the work in its original state in Fontainebleau in 1625, reported that the picture possessed neither dignity nor decency. Indeed, Leonardo depicts the saint in a youthful and slightly androgynous manner. It is possible that the decision was made to paint over and rename it because the depiction of the Baptist contradicted the artistic conventions of the time. The depiction resembles Leonardo da Vinci's painting John the Baptist , also in the Louvre, which depicts the saint as a half-length figure with an upward pointing finger.
Attribution
The attribution of the picture is controversial. The painting is demonstrably based on drafts and sketches by Leonardo da Vinci. However, it is believed that it was carried out by an unknown student from Leonardo's workshop . Possible creators are Cesare da Sesto (1477–1523), Marco d'Oggiono (around 1475– around 1530), Francesco Melzi (around 1491/92 - around 1570) and Cesare Bernazano . The composition and the chiaroscuro of the color rendering are mainly attributed to Leonardo himself.
literature
- Luciano Bottoni: Leonardo e l'androgino . Franco Angeli, Milan 2002. ISBN 88-464-3566-4
- Martin Kemp : Leonardo . C. H. Beck, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-406-56821-3
- Charles Nicholl : Leonardo da Vinci - The biography . S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2006, ISBN 978-3-10-052405-8
- Carlo Pedretti : Leonardo; a study in chronology and style . University of California Press, Berkeley 1973, ISBN 0-520-02420-6
Web links
- Bacchus on the Musée du Louvre website (French), accessed May 8, 2011
- Bacchus in the Base Joconde of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- Bacchus (Leonardo da Vinci) at Zeno.org .
Individual evidence
The last supper | The Adoration of the Magi of the Orient | The adoration of the child with two angels in a landscape (2) | Anna herself third | Bacchus | Portrait of the Mona Lisa | Portrait of Ginevra de 'Benci | Portrait of a musician (2) | The lady with the ermine | The Madonna of the Rocks | Saint Jerome | John the Baptist | La Belle Ferronnière (2) | La Bella Principessa (2) | Leda with the swan (†) | Madonna Benois | Madonna Dreyfus (2) | Madonna Litta (2) | Madonna with the Carnation | Madonna with the spindle (†) | Salvator Mundi | The Scapigliata | The Battle of Anghiari (†) | Tobias and the Angel (1) | The baptism of Christ (1) | The Annunciation (1)
(†) missing • (1) Andrea del Verrocchio and Leonardo da Vinci • (2) Attribution controversial