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Bacchus and Ariadne

Maker

(artist)
1717-1808

Formerly attributed to
(artist)
1700-1799

Title

Bacchus and Ariadne

Date of Production

1730 - 1808

Medium

graphite, pen and brown ink and brown wash on laid paper, with brown ink framing lines, cut into shape of a ceiling niche

Dimensions

Height: 41.8 cm
Width: 25.2 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.1717

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords







Label Text

As narrated by the classical poets Catullus and Ovid, Ariadne was abandoned by her lover Theseus on the shores of Naxos, where she was discovered by Bacchus and his procession of revellers. The god rescued her and brought her to heaven in his chariot driven by leopards. In this elaborate design for a ceiling painting, Mondo employed his characteristic technique of broken pen lines combined with freely applied patches of ink washes.

Provenance

Williams & Sutch (London); purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), n.d.; Witt Bequest 1952

Exhibition History

Special Display - Neapolitan drawings, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 06/10/2011-26/01/2012

Inscriptions

Inscription: Verso: upper centre, graphite, underlined: 2667/3.

Inscription: Verso: lower centre edge, graphite: CW / T [?] [mark associated with Williams & Sutch, not on Lugt]

Inscription: Verso: lower centre, graphite, erased and mostly illegible: Ariadne / Z [...] RA / 1764-1834 .

Collector's mark: Verso: lower right edge, stamped in black: Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b).

Watermark: centre: "D & C BLAUW" (according to Churchill, Dutch paper-maker Dirk Blauw & Co., active 1733-1827).

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