Bacchus as a Child, workshop of Domenico Piola (1627 –1703)

Bacchus as a Child
Domenico Piola workshop
(Genoa, 1627 – Genoa, 8 April 1703)
Oil on canvas

Canvas 71 x 90 cm
Frame 86 x 105 cm
Excellent condition

The painting depicts Bacchus as a child, completely naked and lying with his legs open on a sheet, while he drinks from a flask held in his mouth with his right hand, helped to support him by a servant putto. The pagan deity is in an evident state of drunkenness, inebriated by the wine, with his face expressing an ecstatic smile.
The scene takes place outdoors with the naked bodies of the two protagonists well lit in the foreground, in sharp contrast with the background of the landscape with the dark sky.
The canvas is enlivened by a Medici vase richly decorated with figures in high relief, with a splendid, very lively floral composition next to the little drinker.

It is a very pleasant work from the 17th century, faithful to the traditional predisposition of the Genoese school for this fascinating type of subject, which saw Domenico Piola as its main reference.
The painting should be placed in the production of his workshop, specialized in allegorical, mythological and religious scenes with cherubic angels and cherub faces as protagonists, always suitable for display in the luxurious palaces of the great Ligurian city.
The canvas is in excellent condition complete with a beautiful gilded frame finely carved with vegetable motifs.