Relief eines römischen Bacchus-Sarkophags mit der Auffindung Ariadnes, before 1530

About the Work

Executed around 1530, the drawing depicts a relief on a Roman sarcophagus of the first quarter of the third century now in Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire. Ariadne is seen as Dionysus found her, with her head resting on the lap of Hypnos (Sleep). Composed of flowing contours, hatching and series of little strokes which form the interior modelling, the work is a characteristic example of this artist’s draughtsmanship. Franco is considered an important representative of those Venetians who devoted themselves to the study of classical antiquity.