Bacchante on a Panther, 1855. Part of a series of six paintings that decorated Etienne Bartholony's house in Paris, these paintings emulate ancient Roman designs. Crisp, cut-out forms are set against a gold background painted in imitation of mosaic. Arion was an ancient Greek poet who escaped death by riding away on the back of a sea creature who had been attracted by the poet's song. In the companion picture, a bacchante---a female worshipper of the wine god Bacchus---rides on a panther, the god's symbolic animal. These works were shown at the 1857 Paris Salon exhibition.

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Size: 6148px × 3997px
Photo credit: © Heritage Art/Heritage Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 1825-1905, 19th, adolphe, art, bouguereau, century, cleveland, fabric, france, french, heritage, museum, oil, painting, william