Dionysus

Bacchus and Ariadne Oil Painting by Angelica Kauffmann

Mikka Zenger

In Angelica Kauffmann’s Bacchus and Ariadne Oil Painting, Bacchus is wearing a leopard skin, being led by Cupid, a God of Desire depicted as a young boy with wings, staring up at Bacchus as he pulls away a golden drapery to reveal the distraught Ariadne, with her right hand extended towards Cupid and Bacchus (1). The painting depicts the story of  Bacchus saving Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos, after she was abandoned on the shores of Naxos by her lover, Theseus, who she had helped defeat the Minotaur and escape from Crete (2). Angelica Kauffmann’s painting, compared with Ovid’s storytelling of Bacchus meeting Ariadne in Ars Amatoria, is much simpler than Ovid’s telling. In Ovid’s story, he describes the distraught Ariadne after her lover abandoned her on the shores of Naxos, very similar to how Ariadne is portrayed in the painting. Then her cries are drowned out by drums, and she sees the maedans and satyrs, followers of Bacchus (3). Thus arrives Bacchus, riding in a vine-covered chariot, being pulled by tigers with golden reins (3). Bacchus then leaps down from his chariot, scooping Ariadne up and declaring her as his, even adding her to the constellations so she becomes his immortal wife (3). This tale, in comparison to Kauffmann’s paintings, is much more of a heroic scene that highlights the god-like qualities of Bacchus, whereas Kauffmann’s painting portrays more of a feeling of desire and love at first sight. The choice of including Cupid leading Bacchus strengthens this change of narrative that Kauffmann is portraying in the paintings. Another choice that Kauffmann made is the simplicity of Bacchus’ design. Instead of his chariot led by tigers, he stands by Cupid wearing leopard skin and holding thrysus, the only tell that it is Bacchus without the context of the myth. Compared to other portrayals of Bacchus, Kauffmann does it differently. An example of another piece portraying Bacchus and Ariadne is the marble sarcophagus under St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican (3). This piece is a marble carving that starts with Bacchus riding a chariot pulled by a Minotaur and progresses to Cupid and Bacchus pulling away a drapery covering a sleeping Ariadne (3). Although this piece is done on marble, it has similarities to both Ovid’s tale and Kauffmann’s painting. It includes the chariot that is told in Ovid’s tale, but it also includes Cupid, which is not introduced in the myth, but is seen in Kauffmann’s piece. The main similarity between these works is Ariadne and her portrayal after being abandoned, as well as the connection to Ovid’s take on this myth, which is different from that of Homer’s (3). Kauffmann does not paint Bacchus as the extravagant god that Ovid describes, but as a man being led by desire to a woman who has been abandoned, falling in love with her at first sight.

Works Cited

1. “Bacchus and Ariadne 608953.” National Trust Collections, Attingham Park, The Berwick Collection, www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/608953. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
2. “Bacchus and Ariadne.” Mytholyoke, commons.mtholyoke.edu/arth310lankiewicz/sweet-dreams/bacchus-and-ariadne/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
3.  Morford, Mark P. O., et al. Classical Mythology, (12th ed. Ch. 23), Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 2024.