The work represents the offering that the bacchae, or followers of bacchus, made to their god. In the center a priest offers the sacrifice on an altar, before the statue of the divinity crowned with vine leaves. Around, the partygoers drink or appear absolutely drunk and asleep thanks to the effect of the wine. This mythological scene demonstrates the influence that the baroque pictorial tradition had on houasse, reminiscent of certain scenes by rubens, filtered through authors such as antoine coypel. But there are also echoes of titian's painting, especially in the sleeping female figure on the right side. A specialist in this type of mythological images, houasse incorporated a certain gallant aspect combined with academic principles into his works. The individualized treatment of each group or figure, although it reduces the unitary meaning of the scene, makes it gain in richness of detail. Paired with the bacchanal painting (p02267). Both paintings were in 1746 in the collection of queen isabel farnesio in the palacio de la granja. Object Type: painting. Genre: mythological painting. Date: 1720. Dimensions: height: 125 cm (49.2 in); width: 180 cm (70.8 in). Medium: oil on canvas. Depicted People: Bacchus. Collection: Museo del Prado. Ofrenda a Baco, por Michel-Ange Houasse
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