Bacchus

Bacchus, formerly Saint John the Baptist, in the Musée du Louvre is based on a drawing by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci but executed by an unknown follower, perhaps in Leonardo's workshop. The drawing Sidney J. Freedberg assigns the painting to Leonardo's second Milan period. Some have claimed that the painting could have been done by any of several Lombard painters, Cesare da Sesto, Marco d'Oggiono, Francesco Melzi, "none of t... more

Bacchus, formerly Saint John the Baptist, in the Musée du Louvre is based on a drawing by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci but executed by an unknown follower, perhaps in Leonardo's workshop. The drawing Sidney J. Freedberg assigns the painting to Leonardo's second Milan period. Some have claimed that the painting could have been done by any of several Lombard painters, Cesare da Sesto, Marco d'Oggiono, Francesco Melzi, "none of them successfully" Freedberg remarked or by Cesare Bernazzano. The painting began its career as Saint John the Baptist who is pointing with his right hand off to the right, and with his left hand grasps his thyrsus. Then in the late seventeenth century it was overpainted and altered, to serve as Bacchus. Cassiano dal Pozzo remarked of the painting in its former state, which he saw at Fontainebleau in 1625, that it had neither devotion, decorum nor similitude, the suavely beautiful, youthful and slightly androgynous Giovannino was so at variance... less