• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Your Contact in Florence

Helping you to plan your holiday in Florence

  • Home
  • What to do
  • Where to stay
  • Books
  • Blog
    • News and Events
    • Attractions
    • History
    • Food and Wine
  • Contact
  • About

Caravaggio Bacchus – Uffizi Gallery

February 27, 2015 By Andrea Leave a Comment

Caravaggio bacchusWhen visiting the overwhelming Uffizi Gallery, make sure you “survive” until the very last part of the collection. People not guided by a professional often do not realize that, few steps away from the Museum exit, they’re going through one of the most important rooms, dedicated to Caravaggio with three wonderful paintings: Caravaggio Bacchus is one of them, the other two are Medusa and the Sacrifice of Isaac.

 

 

 

 

  • Private Tour of the Uffizi Gallery, Florence - Skip the Line!
  • Price: $59.34
  • Galleria dell' Accademia and Uffizi Gallery Guided Tour - Skip the Line!
  • Price: $82.07
  • Uffizi Gallery Tour, Florence - Skip the Line!
  • Price: $35.46

 

 

Caravaggio Bacchus

caravaggio bacchusCaravaggio Bacchus is an oil on canvas painting dated 1596-97. It was commissioned by Cardinal Del Monte, Caravaggio’s protector, to make it a gift for Ferdinando I Grand Duke of Tuscany, his friend and the man who helped his career. Placed in one of the Medici Villas, the work was then moved in the Uffizi collections, but was almost forgot and was found again only in 1911, in the Uffizi storage. Bacchus, the God of wine, is almost lying down on a triclinium like the ancient Romans used to do in banquets. Half covered by a sheet or tunic, he’s offering a glass of wine with his left hand. Vine leaves on his head arrange a sort of crown while a fruit basket and a wine decanter stand on the table. Caravaggio Bacchus is not idealized like generally happens for Greek/Roman Gods (see Botticelli Birth of Venus as an example). The painter wants to show the drunkenness of Bacchus, something that Michelangelo had already experimented in his Bacchus statue visible at the Bargello Museum. caravaggio bacchusCaravaggio introduced a new realism, preferring to represent common people, even in mythological or religious subjects. His inspiration came from the street, where the restless and often violent painter lived. Most of his works, including this one, do not represent the landscape, focusing on the humanity of the character. You must observe the painting carefully to catch all of this: the trembling hand offering wine, the dirty fingernails of Bacchus, but also the incredibly realistic transparency of glass. In the fruit basket is also something you wouldn’t expect: fruit going bad, probably more similar to what you could find in a humble kitchen than in a banquet of Gods. The fact Caravaggio Bacchus is offering wine with his left hand has been interpreted by many scholars as a clue of Caravaggio’s technique: using mirrors to project his models on canvas, although it might just be that the model was lefty. The model is unknown, possibly Caravaggio’s friend Mario Minniti.

The other Caravaggio Bacchus

caravaggio bacchusThere is another Caravaggio Bacchus at the Galleria Borghese in Rome, also known as the Young Sick Bacchus, made in 1593-94, which is probably a self-portrait by Caravaggio.

 

 

 

 

 

  • Florence Sightseeing Tour with Galleria dell' Accademia - Skip the Line!
  • Price: $59.58
  • The Best of Florence - Private Tour
  • Price: $78.60
  • Best of Florence Walking Tour including Accademia Gallery & Duomo!
  • Price: $61.83

 

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Best tours reviewed by a professional tour guide

Private day trips to Florence

Best tours in Florence

  • Florence in a Nutshell; Uffizi, Galleria Accademia, Duomo & More!
  • Description:See all the sites of Florence including skip the line entrance to the Uffizi and Accademia galleries
  • Price: $122.74
 
  • Skip-The-Line Brunelleschi Tour – Florence Duomo
  • Description:Discover the genius of the architect Brunelleschi when you climb the Florence Cathedral dome
  • Price: $83.68
 
  • Small-Group Palazzo Vecchio Secret Passages Tour with Lunch
  • Visit the secret passages of Palazzo Vecchio, as seen on "Inferno".
  • Price: $42.70

Insider tips for lodging in Florence

where to stay in florence

Best Luxury hotels

Booking.com

Best Bed & Breakfast

Booking.com

Best Countryside Villas

Booking.com
  • Privacy & Cookie policy
  • Copyright
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Copyright 2014 © 2023 · yourcontactinflorence.com · All rights reserved.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT