# Bacchus [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [SANSOVINO, Jacopo]() - Date: 1501-1550 - Technique: Marble, height 146 cm ## Commentary Sansovino returned to Florence c. 1510 and almost immediately assumed a position of prominence. Possibly through Baccio d'Agnolo, he gained the two commissions for marble statuary that confirmed his reputation as a serious rival to Michelangelo, the Bacchus \(Bargello, Florence\) and St James the Greater for the cathedral. The Bacchus, probably Sansovino's most celebrated work, is one of the best-known Renaissance sculptures. Finished by 1512, it was designed for the garden of Giovanni Bartolini's suburban palace at Gualfonda, where it stood on a plinth carved by Benedetto da Rovezzano. Although Sansovino may have been asked to copy a Classical sculpture, no single convincing prototype has ever been found. His creation seems to have been a synthesis of several Classical works, and it captures the spirit of antiquity far better than any previous modern work. It displays a dazzling virtuosity in its extended left arm and sinuous, serpentine movement. Although damaged by fire in 1762, the Bacchus still retains the power to entrance spectators. ## Related artworks - [Allegory of Crete]() - [Allegory of Cyprus]() - [Allegory of Venice]() - [Apollo on the Loggetta]() - [Bacchus \(back view\)]() - [Bacchus \(detail\)]() - [Baptismal Font]() - [Baptismal Font]() - [Biblioteca Marciana and Zecca]() - [Biblioteca Marciana: Exterior view]() - [Biblioteca Marciana: Exterior view]() - [Biblioteca Marciana: Exterior view]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()