The Marriage of Bacchus and Ariadne, Magdalena van de Passe (possibly), c. 1636 - 1670
engraving, h 171mm × w 235mm More details
Bacchus, the god of wine, and his wife Ariadne here drink to their marriage. Magdalena de Passe situated the newlyweds in a cave, where vines meander along the walls. The unfinished proof, above, affords insight into the engraver’s working process: she elaborated the background – the view from the cave – and the figures’ hands only in the final stage.