Bacchus and Ariadne by Titian (Tiziano Vecellio).
Gods, mortals, action, romance, leopards, snakes and severed deer heads! (Not to mention a beautifully dramatic landscape and delicate foreground flowers rendered with botanical accuracy.)
[Addendum: not to mention lots of genuine Ultramarine Blue, made from a semi-precious stone more costly by weight than gold. See the full pigment analysis on ColourLex.]
In the National Gallery, London. Use fullscreen and zoom controls at right of image.
Great! Looks like the old man laid in a great supply of lapis lazuli before he took on the job of polishing this gem!
I think his patron could afford it.
This is a wonderful choice. My favourite aspect of this painting is Titian’s masterful handling of colour. The cool blue contrasted with a touch of warm red of Ariadne’s scarf to the left and the warm earth colours contrasted with the cool blue of the bacchant’s skirt to the right.
The entire pigment analysis of ‘Bacchus and Ariadne’ can be found at
