Portrait of a Young Man as Bacchus
Artist
Jean-Marc Nattier
(French, 1685 – 1766)
Dateca. 1740s
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsFrame: 77 3/8 × 62 3/16 × 6 1/2 in. (196.5 × 158 × 16.5 cm)
Image: 57 1/2 × 45 5/16 × 1 3/16 in. (146 × 115.1 × 3 cm)
Image: 57 1/2 × 45 5/16 × 1 3/16 in. (146 × 115.1 × 3 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936
Object numberSN380
Nattier specialized in disguised portraits of wealthy and aristocratic women in which he presented his clients as ancient goddesses. This painting is a rare example of Nattier showing a male sitter as a god from ancient mythology. The rotund young man here is shown as Bacchus, the god of wine—the grapes, wine cup, leopard skin, and thyrsus (staff encircled by vines) are all attributes of the god. As Bacchus was the son of Jupiter, the king of the gods, the painting may portray a relative of the king.
On View
On viewLocation
- Museum of Art, Gallery 15, Wall East
