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The Canon in Titian's Bacchanal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

Gertrude P. Smith*
Affiliation:
Smith College
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Extract

The Bacchanal is one of the three paintings made by Titian for a room in the palace of Alfonso d'Este at Ferrara. At Alfonso's suggestion the painting followed a description by Philostratus of a painting he had seen which represented the mythical island of Andros. According to Philostratus, Dionysius so charged the earth of Andros with wine ‘that it bursts forth and sends up a river… . the men, crowned with ivy and byrony are singing to their wives and children, some dancing … some reclining. And very likely … this is the theme of their song— … that this river makes men rich, and powerful in the assembly, and helpful to their friends, and beautiful and, instead of short, four cubits tall; for when a man has drunk his fill of it he can assemble all these qualities and in his thought make them his own. This is what you should imagine you hear and what some of them are really singing, though their voices are thick with wine.’

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Renaissance Society of America 1953

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References

1 It is now in the Prado, Madrid.

2 Philostratus, Imagines, I, 25, tr. A. Fairbanks, Loeb Classical Library, 1932.

3 I wish to acknowledge the helpful suggestions of Philip Keppler in working out a solution.

4 In his book, Bellini's Feast of the Gods, 1948, Edgar Wind offers interesting information concerning the significance of the subjects chosen for the Bacchanal and its two companion pieces, and notes that a previous misreading of ‘Chanson’ for ‘canon’ was corrected by Manfred Bukofzer.

5 According to Ruth Wegwood Kennedy whom I have to thank also for calling the riddle to my attention.

6 J. S. Levitan, A. Willaert's Famous Duo, 1939, p. 11.

7 This is quoted and a solution is offered by Lewinsky, E., ‘The Goddess Fortuna in Music,’ Musical Quarterly, vol. XXIX, 1943, p. 4577 Google Scholar.

8 No. 66 in Arnold Schering, Geschichte der Musik in Beispielen.