The sculpture depicts two figures, a man and a woman, who are seated closely together. The man has curly hair adorned with grapevines, holds a cluster of grapes in one hand, and his other arm is draped around the woman. The woman has long, wavy hair and is partially draped in cloth, which she holds in one hand. The figures appear engaged, as if in conversation or celebration. The sculpture is made of dark bronze, enhancing the details of the figures' hair, muscle definition, and draped cloth. The composition is dynamic, with a sense of motion and interaction between the figures. The sculpture rests on a rectangular base.
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The sculpture depicts two figures, a man and a woman, who are seated closely together. The man has curly hair adorned with grapevines, holds a cluster of grapes in one hand, and his other arm is draped around the woman. The woman has long, wavy hair and is partially draped in cloth, which she holds in one hand. The figures appear engaged, as if in conversation or celebration. The sculpture is made of dark bronze, enhancing the details of the figures' hair, muscle definition, and draped cloth. The composition is dynamic, with a sense of motion and interaction between the figures. The sculpture rests on a rectangular base.

National Gallery of Art · Sculpture

Bacchus and Ariadne

Giovanni Battista Foggini

Date
1711/1724
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
overall: 39.1 x 32.9 x 23.9 cm (15 3/8 x 12 15/16 x 9 7/16 in.)
Classification
Sculpture · Small Bronze
Accession number
1974.18.1
Credit line
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Time span
1701 to 1725
Department
CSD

Subjects and terms

  • Florentine
  • Baroque
  • classical
  • mythology
  • European Small Bronzes before 1900
  • Bacchus
  • Ariadne
Provenance

Private collection, Steeple Ashton, Oxfordshire, England;[1] (antique dealer, Brighton); purchased 1973 by (Michael Hall Fine Arts, New York); purchased 21 January 1974 by NGA. [1] The private collector was said by the Brighton dealer to have been a "Viscount Wrexall", according to phone conversation between Doug Lewis and Michael Hall, 7 March 1974, and recorded in NGA curatorial files.

NGA object ID 54189. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.