Offered by Antichità Castelbarco
Jean Jacques Spoede (Antwerp 1680 - Paris 1757)
Triumph of Bacchus
Oil on canvas 66 x 83 cm. - In frame 84 x 101 cm.
In this fascinating painting, attributed to Jean Jacques Spoede (Antwerp, 1680 - Turin, 1752), we find ourselves immersed in the heart of a bacchanal, a pagan festival in honour of Bacchus, god of wine and intoxication, a Dionysian celebration that mixes sensuality, mythology and unbridled joy.
It is a fascinating subject, which has ancient origins, specifically in the propitiatory celebrations that took place at the end of the grape harvest as a ritual of thanksgiving and conviviality to involve the farming community with dancing and singing, often accompanied by theatrical performances dedicated to the veneration of Bacchus, due to his ancestral links with the Roman god of wine.
A Flemish painter active in Italy, Spoede is known for his ability to blend Nordic precision with the elegance and theatricality of Italian Baroque. After moving to Turin, he worked for the Savoy court, distinguishing himself for his mythological and allegorical scenes, and our painting is a perfect example of this: refined, cultured, but also surprisingly sensual.
One of his paintings, very similar in subject and detail, is currently on display at the National Museum in Pozna?, painted between 1720 and 1730 (oil on canvas, 120 x 160 cm).
Link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spoede_Bacchanals.jpg *
The image offers us an opulent and lively vision, with a work that exalts the beauty of the body, the joy of the senses, and the freedom of the spirit, in a true apotheosis of the myth of Bacchus, presenting the viewer with a timeless universe where myth and nature, art and desire merge in an eternal embrace.
At the centre of the composition, we see a monumental wine barrel adorned with vine branches, reminiscent of a profane altar, around which an exuberant dance of bodies unfolds, accompanied by the music of flutes and tambourines.
Half-naked bodies and mythological figures, including satyrs and nymphs, intertwine in a whirlwind of movement, music, and pleasure. A satyr in the centre, crowned with vine leaves, raises his cup to the sky in an ecstatic gesture, evoking the spirit of Bacchus and celebrating wine as divine nectar.
On the ground, both satyr and human children play among bunches of grapes, personifying innocence lost in the lust of the senses, and a leopard, alluding to the wild and primordial energy that characterises these festivals.
The setting is lush: luxuriant nature embraces an architectural fountain in the background, almost like a forgotten temple, now reborn in Dionysian jubilation. A golden light, typical of Baroque painting, caresses the bodies and faces, enhancing the sensuality and euphoria of the moment.
This setting acts as an imaginary portal between the earthly world and the mythological sphere: on the left-hand side, in fact, some peasants with baskets overflowing with grapes, the fruit of the harvest, watch the scene with amazement or veneration, suggesting the link between everyday life and the mythological dimension, between the sacred and the profane.
Delevery information :
We take care of and organise the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.
We take great care We personally take care of the packaging, to which we devote a great deal of care: each work is carefully packed, first with arti- cle material, then with a custom-made wooden box.
Should you have the desire to see this or other works in person, we would be happy to welcome you to our gallery in Riva del Garda, Viale Giuseppe Canella 18, we are always open by appointment only.
