The Andrians. Titian

The painting depicts a bacchanal on the Greek island of Andros.

A bacchanalia was a feast honouring Bacchus, the Roman god of wine.

The god Bacchus favoured this island, and one of the streams flowed with wine instead of water.

The painting shows an idealised landscape with the sea in the background.

At the feast, gods and inhabitants of the island drink, dance, and sing.

In the right corner, we can see a naked woman asleep from the effects of wine.

She is a nymph.

A nymph is a goddess of nature in ancient Greece and Rome.

This painting is one of the most daring nudes of the era of Titian.

The posture of the woman is similar to a famous sculpture portraying Ariadne.

Ariadne was a character from Greek mythology.

Mythology is the collection of stories about the gods, heroes and traditions specific to nations or cultures.

In the centre of the painting is a woman in a red dress.

Some experts believe she represents Violante, a woman that Titian loved.

The painter placed his signature on her neckline.

Next to this woman is a musical score.

The score contains the lyrics of an old song.

The lyrics of the song say that a person who drinks and does not drink again does not know what it is to drink.

This song encourages drinking to get intoxicated.

Titian created this painting inspired by a description of a famous ancient painting by a Roman writer named Philostratus.

This painting decorated the Camerino d’Alabastro room in the palace of Alfonso d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, a city in Italy.