c. 1520~23, 175.2*190.5cm, Oil on canvas
This is one of three mythological paintings completed by Titian for Alfonso d'Este's Camerino d' Alabastro (Italian: "Alabaster Chamber") in his castle at Ferrara, in Italy. Raphael was
originally commissioned to paint the story of Bacchus and Ariadne, but on his death the commission passed to Titian. The painting is based on tales told by the Roman poets Ovid and Catullus, and shows the wine god Bacchus coming to the aid of
Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos. She had been abandoned by her lover, Theseus, on the island of Naxos. Elements of
the story are represented throughout the painting, while the composition focuses on the figure of Bacchus. The unbridled energy of his pose (he is positioned in mid-air) is set off by the
brilliance of the colouring and the expansive landscape. Bacchus is followed by his carousing retinue-some of their poses are borrowed from classical statues; the figure with snakes is based on the 
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