3-035-572 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Birth of Bacchus, about 1530s. Additional Info: In a composition, alive with naked, twisting bodies, the story of Bacchus's birth unfolds as a wry commentary on the perils of passion. On discovering that the supreme god Jupiter had impregnated the young mortal Semele, Jupiter's wife, Juno, hatched a plan to end the love affair. Disguised as Semele's nurse, and knowing that Jupiter's lightning and thunder were lethal, Juno persuaded Semele to ask Jupiter to visit her "in all his glory" so that she could be absolutely certain of his identity.