Bacchus and Ariadne
c. 1680
Medium
painting
Dimensions
h 0 × w 0
Classification
painting
Museum
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
About this artwork
De Lairesse painted a classic tale from the Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid. Princess Ariadne is abandoned by her lover on the island of Naxos. There, she meets Bacchus, the god of wine, who instantly falls in love with her and grants her immortality. As a wedding gift, he transforms her crown into the constellation Corona Borealis ensuring that she will be remembered forever. In the painting, her starry crown shines bright amidst the pink clouds.
About the Artist
Gerard de Lairesse · 1641–1711
Gerard de Lairesse (1641–1711) was a leading figure of the Dutch Golden Age, renowned as both a painter and art theorist whose classical ideals bridged the dramatic realism of Rembrandt with the refined elegance of French academism. Born on September 11, 1641, in Liège, he was the second son of the painter Renier de Lairesse (1597–1667). De Lairesse received his initial training under his father b...