Baccchus and Ariane
Beauvais late XVIIth – early XVIIIth century
286 x 213 cm
Material: Wool and silk
This Beauvais tapestry represents Bacchus and Ariane.
It is framed by rich polychrome floral border, parrots, masks, cornucopias and monkeys.
The scene shows the two deities on the island of Naxos, suggested by the shells.
Bacchus is represented with its traditional attributes: the tiara, his crown of vine leaves and two panthers that a putti feeds with grapes. This episod is important because Bacchus is going to offerAriane the crown which will become the constellation of the boreal crown.