c. 1693
Bacchus and Ariadne on the Isle of Naxos
Antoine CoypelFrench, 1661 - 1722
This painting was commissioned by the Duke of Orléans, only brother of King Louis XIV, to decorate a small, private room in his Château of Saint-Cloud. The subject derives from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Ariadne, daughter of King Minos of Crete, has been abandoned by her lover Theseus, whom she had rescued from the labyrinth. As she mourns his departure she is discovered by the god Bacchus, who immediately marries her. Coypel depicts the tender moment of transition as Ariadne's tears give way to feelings of newborn love.
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