Bacchanal with a Statue of Ceres, 1794
Paul Gregoireexpand_more
Pen and brown and black ink and grey wash over black chalkexpand_more
The Richard Lewis Hillstrom Fundexpand_more 2004.59
On View in Gallery 317expand_more
Followers of Bacchus, god of wine and the harvest, celebrated his feast day on September 3. Bacchanals were rowdy, drunken gatherings, often held illicitly in the forest or other wilderness locales. In front of the statue of Ceres, Roman goddess of agriculture, one celebrant commits the ultimate party foul: after consuming one too many, she has fallen to the ground and smashed a large vessel of wine. Meanwhile, her slightly more sober companions—many of them goat-like satyrs—dance, sing, and play instruments. Several carry pan pipes, flutes, cymbals, triangles, and drums.
Details
- Title
- Bacchanal with a Statue of Ceres
- Artist Life
- active 1793-1819
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2004.59
- Provenance
- Sale, Sotheby's, New York, Jan. 25, 2002, lot 118; [Collins Paintings and Drawings, New York, in 2004; sold to MIA]
- Curator Approved
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