Bacchus and Ariadne on Naxos

Currently not on view

Bacchus and Ariadne on Naxos

c. 1785-1790

Giuseppe Cades (Italian (active Rome), 1750–1799)

Although many late-eighteenth-century drawings recording fully developed compositions were studies for paintings, it is more likely that this sheet was produced as a finished work in its own right, a practice for which Cades was known. The subject is from Roman mythology, showing Bacchus, the god of wine and revelry, rescuing the Cretan princess Ariadne, who had been abandoned by her ungrateful lover Theseus on the island of Naxos.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Bacchus and Ariadne on Naxos

Date:

c. 1785-1790

Artist:

Giuseppe Cades (Italian (active Rome), 1750–1799)

Medium:

Pen and black ink with brush and brownish gray wash, over black chalk, on blued white laid paper, with blue wove framing strips ruled in black ink

Dimensions:

Sheet: 13 11/16 x 17 3/16 inches (34.7 x 43.7 cm)

Classification:

Drawings

Credit Line:

Bequest of Anthony Morris Clark, 1978

Accession Number:

1978-70-213

Geography:

Made in Italy, Europe

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Currently not on view