Bacchus and Ariadne

Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini's Bacchus and Ariadne from the 1720s depicts the god's rescue of the abandoned Cretan princess, one of the most popular mythological subjects in Venetian painting since Titian. Pellegrini was a pioneer of the Venetian Rococo, traveling throughout Europe to execute decorative commissions in England, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. His light palette and dynamic compositions anticipated the full flowering of the Venetian Rococo under Tiepolo.

Pellegrini's oil-on-canvas technique features the rapid, fluid brushwork and light, luminous palette that characterized his decorative manner. The dynamic composition with swirling figures and atmospheric sky demonstrates his talent for the large-scale mythological scenes that filled European palaces.