Hot Pamono Workshop of Gerard Van Honthorst, Dionysus / Bacchus, 1640, Oil on Canvas

Northern Caravaggesque painter, active in Rome in the 17th century
Workshop of Gerard van Honthorst (Utrecht, 1592 – Utrecht, 1656)

Dionysus/Bacchus (as an allegory of taste)

Oil on canvas

65 x 52 cm – In an antique frame 82 x 68 cm.

Analysis of the composition and style of this interesting portrait, which depicts Dionysus (commonly known as Bacchus) sipping a cup of wine, allows us to link its execution to the workshop of the Flemish artist Gerard van Honthorst (Utrecht, 1592 – Utrecht, 1656).

A highly talented Dutch painter, he was a prominent member—along with Dirck van Baburen and Hendrick ter Brugghen—of the “Utrecht Caravaggists,” a group of artists who moved from the Dutch city to Rome in the early 17th century, where they were fascinated by Caravaggio’s painting.

Profoundly influenced by the great master’s innovation, upon their return to their homeland, they introduced the same realism in their choice of subjects and intense chiaroscuro into their own works.

The close-up, almost life-size composition lends the work realism and immediacy, further enlivened by dramatic lighting effects that highlight the drinker’s ruddy complexion.

This type of subject is found in numerous of his compositions, thanks to which the artist achieved great collector success, in which the almost caricatural definition of the figures is combined with a striking iconography.

Dionysus, god of wine and drunkenness, features large, dark eyes directed at the viewer, slightly flushed lips, nose, and cheeks, and shoulder-length curly hair. The figure’s relaxed pose and grinning expression clearly indicate he is under the influence of the drink.

The theme of the pleasure of food, and particularly of cheerful drinkers, already beloved in Italian art in the Caravaggesque style, was also very popular among Flemish artists, who imported these subjects to Northern Europe.

We can identify many of these in the painter’s oeuvre, but among those most similar to the painting we propose are “Young Bacchus Squeezing Grapes into a Bowl” from the National Trust (National Trust, Hatchlands, England), “Young Man with a Flask of Wine and Cheese” (Christie’s, 5 December 2020), and “Cheerful Violinist” (Hermitage, St. Petersburg).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is sold complete with a beautiful gilded wooden frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and an iconographic.