The Bargello, Florence, Italy

Bacchus
Michelangelo
1496-98

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	The drunken Bacchus An early work commissioned for a sculpture garden, Bacchus was supposed to resemble an ancient work. This Roman god of wine is unstable, as if defying gravity. Unlike the heroic, masculine nudes of Michelangelo's maturity, Bacchus seems androgynous, with soft rather than muscular flesh.
	Side view with satyr The satyr, necessary as a support, replaces the tree trunk used in antique works. The satyr also helps to move the eye around the work which has several viewing points.
	Back view Unlike Giovanni Bologna, Michelangleo is interested in textures: fatty layers, hair, grapes, curls. He uses a number of elements from antiquity: the kylix (wine cup), vine leaves, the satyr, the animal skin, the drill holes in the base and the purposely broken member.
Front and side view of Bacchus' head
Details of the satyr, the drill holes in the base, and the purposely broken member

See also the Bargello site in Florence.

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Page created by Mary Ann Sullivan