Bacchus by  Caravaggio - 1595 - 95 × 85 cm Galleria degli Uffizi Bacchus by  Caravaggio - 1595 - 95 × 85 cm Galleria degli Uffizi

Bacchus

oil on canvas • 95 × 85 cm
  • Caravaggio - 29 September 1571 - 18 July? 1610 Caravaggio 1595

Bacchus is the Roman name for Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, madness, and ecstasy. He often appears in scenes of revelry and licentiousness. The fruit basket is usually interpreted as a vanitas, intended to remind the viewer of the fleeting nature and meaninglessness of life. Common vanitas symbols include timepieces (every person's time on Earth is running out), skulls (death will come), bubbles (fragility), and, as we see here, wilting flowers and rotting fruit.