Wednesday, 16 March 2016

A MARVEL IN MARBLE

This stunning sculpted relief of Bacchus and Ariadne (c. 1505) by the Venetian sculptor Tullio Lombardo, (c. 1455-1532) usually resides in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, but is currently being exhibited as part of the In the Age of Giorgione exhibition at London's Royal Academy of Arts (12 March-15 June 2016).


The following description is from the website of Washington's National Gallery of Art:
The woman leans dreamily against her consort, but her rippling hair seems to swell with energy against the brocaded headdress that binds it. The garland of vine leaves in the man’s hair suggests that he is the ancient wine god Bacchus with his bride Ariadne, or perhaps an ivy-crowned poet with his beloved. The frame-like border around the figures may indicate that Tullio was competing not only with ancient sculpture, but also with contemporary painters.
In addition to this wondrous sculpture there are stunning portraits, landscapes and religious paintings by Giorgione and his contemporaries...


Giorgione, Portrait of a Young Man (Antonio Brocardo?). Oil on canvas. 72.5 x 54 cm. Szépmüvészeti Múzeum, Budapest. Gift of Archbishop János László Pyrker, 1836. Currently on exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, London

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