The mythological god of wine and fertility, son of Jupiter and Semele. When Jupiter accidentally killed Semele, he removed the fetus from the woman's body and sewed it onto his thigh. Once born, Bacchus was entrusted to the care of nymphs, satyrs, and the wise Silenus. The envious Juno, Jupiter's consort, struck Bacchus with madness, forcing him to wander around the world. In Phrygia, he was cured by Cybele, and then he went to Asia where he taught men the cultivation of wine. Caravaggio's rendition of Bacchus (1595-1596; Florence, Uffizi) shows the god with flushed cheeks from the effects of drinking. Michelangelo presented the figure in a similar inebriated state in his sculpture of 1496-1497 (Florence, Museo Nazionale del Bargello). On the Farnese ceiling (c. 1597-1600; Rome, Palazzo Farnese), Annibale Carracci showed him triumphantly returning from India, his consort Ariadne at his side, and Titian also painted Bacchus with Ariadne (1518-1523; Madrid, Prado) for Alfonso I d'Este's Camerino d'Alabastro in the Ducal Palace of Ferrara.
Historical dictionary of Renaissance art. Lilian H. Zirpolo. 2008.