Description
Bacchus is an early Caravaggio, painted around 1596: a young man crowned with vine leaves and bunches of grapes, wrapped in a white cloth, reclines at a table and holds out a shallow glass of red wine to us. The original, oil on canvas, is 95 cm high and 85 cm wide and hangs in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Our painter paints it for you by hand in oils on canvas, in 8 portrait sizes from 43 x 47 to 172 x 200 cm or made to measure, and before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished painting.
| Title: | Bacchus |
| Other titles: | Bacco · Bakh |
| Painter: | Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610) |
| Year painted: | c. 1596 |
| Original size: | 95 cm x 85 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | Baroque, tenebrism |
| Located at: | Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, 8 sizes or made to measure |
Bacchus – Caravaggio
What does Bacchus show?
On an almost square canvas a young man plays the Roman god of wine. He half-reclines on a couch with a cushion, the way guests lay at ancient banquets. A white cloth falls loosely over his left shoulder, leaving the right shoulder and the chest bare.
On his head sits a full wreath of vine leaves. Some are still green, others already yellow and russet, with bunches of dark and pale grapes hanging between them. His right hand holds a black bow tied at his waist; his left reaches towards us with a wide, shallow glass on a thin stem, filled to the brim with dark red wine.
On the table in front is a bowl of apples, pears, figs, grapes and a split pomegranate showing its red seeds. To the left stands a round glass carafe of wine, its surface catching a glint of light. The background is a plain brownish wall, so the eye stays on the young man and the table.
Who is Bacchus, and what does the scene tell us?
Bacchus is the Roman god of wine. Caravaggio does not paint a god on Olympus but a youth dressed up for the part: the wreath, the white robe and the glass are the costume he poses in.
By holding the glass out towards us, the young god invites us to join him at his table. Wikipedia points to the fruit in the bowl: beside the ripe, burst pomegranate lies a rotting apple. Many read this as a hint of transience, familiar from vanitas still lifes: youth and pleasure do not last.
Who sat for it is not certain. Caravaggio’s pupil Mario Minniti is often named, while the painter and biographer Giovanni Baglione believed Caravaggio painted himself with the help of a mirror.
Why is this Caravaggio so well known?
Because the young Caravaggio brings together two things he handled like few others: a living person painted from the model, and still life. The face with its flushed cheeks and dark curls is no idealised statue but a real young man in costume.
It was painted while Caravaggio lived with his first major patron, Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte. From the same years comes The Lute Player, with a young musician behind a table full of flowers and fruit. The English Wikipedia article tells the full story.
Where is the original, and how did it reach Florence?
The original belongs to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, where it is listed under inventory number 5312.
It was commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte. In 1596 Caravaggio moved into the cardinal’s Roman residence, the Palazzo Madama, and stayed there as a guest for five years.
The cardinal gave the painting, together with Caravaggio’s Medusa, to the Medici family, and both works have remained in Florence ever since.
Bacchus or another Caravaggio?
Bacchus is a canvas painting for anyone who loves good food, wine and long evenings with friends. It is most at home in a dining room, a wine cellar or beside a home bar, where the young god greets your guests.
If you like a young man wrapped up in himself, look at Narcissus, who leans over the water to gaze at his own reflection. A livelier scene from the same period is The Fortune Teller: a smartly dressed youth has his palm read while the girl slips the ring off his finger.
Quieter, yet full of music, is Rest on the Flight into Egypt, where an angel plays the violin and Mary sleeps with the Child. All the famous Caravaggio paintings we paint are gathered on the Caravaggio page.
How does our painter paint Bacchus?
We paint Bacchus only once you order it, in oils on canvas, layer by layer. The painter first lays a warm brown ground, then sketches the figure, the wreath, the glass and the fruit bowl with a fine brush.
Then he builds the colour from dark tones to light. The skin takes on a warm, rosy glow, the white cloth soft shadows in its folds, and the vine leaves every shade from green through yellow to rust red. Glass and wine ask for the most patience: the clear glass, the glint on the carafe and the deep red surface should look close enough to touch.
This Caravaggio reproduction has a real surface where brushstrokes show under raking light, and the colour stays deep in the darker passages. As an oil painting reproduction with white cloth and pale skin it takes daylight well, and in the evening, under a warm lamp, the wine and fruit glow.
Which size works on which wall?
In short: 43 x 47 or 50 x 55 cm above a sideboard or between two windows, 68 x 75 or 75 x 85 cm for a dining room or hallway, 97 x 106 or 120 x 140 cm above a sofa or dining table, and 140 x 150 or 172 x 200 cm for a large wall, a stairwell or a wine bar.
We paint Bacchus in 8 portrait sizes (width x height): 43 x 47, 50 x 55, 68 x 75, 75 x 85, 97 x 106, 120 x 140, 140 x 150 and 172 x 200 cm. The closest to the original is 75 x 85 cm, 10 cm narrower and 10 cm shorter; 97 x 106 cm is 12 cm wider and 11 cm taller.
Because the young man fills most of the canvas, the smaller sizes read like an intimate portrait, while the larger ones bring out the grapes, the fruit and the glass. As a painting for the living room it is most convincing at 97 x 106 or 120 x 140 cm. Hang it so that the wine glass sits at about eye level.
Is another size or a frame possible?
Certainly. If you need a different width or height, we adapt the composition so that wreath, glass and fruit bowl stay whole. Tell us which size you need, and we will send a price and a lead time.
The painting travels rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or ready framed. Stretching and framing are done in our workshop in Slovenia. You choose the moulding in our 3D app, which is there only for picking a frame; showing the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
An antique-gold moulding or a dark walnut frame suits the warm browns of the background and the white cloth.
When will the painting arrive, and how is it shipped?
As soon as you confirm your order the painter begins, and Bacchus is ready to travel within 15 to 45 working days. Before that we send you a photograph of the finished painting; if you would like something adjusted, we do it before packing. There are no customs charges within Slovenia and the rest of the EU, and our returns policy applies to every order.
Bacchus is a happy choice of gift for a winemaker, a sommelier, a restaurateur or a friend who loves to cook and entertain. If you are not sure which size they would like, give a wall art voucher and let them choose.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the original?
In the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, where it is catalogued as inventory number 5312.
What is the young man holding?
A shallow glass of red wine in his left hand; with his right he holds a black bow at his waist.
Is this a print?
No. It is a hand-painted copy, made with brush and oil paint on canvas by one of our painters.
How large is the original?
It is 95 cm high and 85 cm wide; our nearest size is 75 x 85 cm.
What does the rotting apple in the bowl mean?
It is often read as a reminder of transience: youth and pleasure soon pass.
Does it suit a dining room?
Very well: wine, grapes and fruit belong at the table.
Could I have Bacchus in a size you do not list?
Yes. Send us the width and height, and we will reply with a price and a delivery time.
How long will I wait?
Painting takes 15 to 45 working days, and the photograph of your finished Bacchus reaches you before dispatch.
- Subject: the young Bacchus, crowned with vine leaves and grapes and wrapped in a white cloth, holds out a glass of red wine; a fruit bowl and a glass carafe stand before him.
- Original: c. 1596, oil on canvas, 95 x 85 cm, Uffizi Gallery, Florence.
- Ours: hand-painted to order in oils on canvas, 8 portrait sizes from 43 x 47 to 172 x 200 cm or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: Cardinal del Monte commissioned it and later gave it to the Medici family.
