Workshop Of Joachim Von Sandrart Allegory Of The Month Of October In The Guise Of Bacchus

Workshop of Joachim von Sandrart (1606 – 1688)
Allegory of the month of October in the guise of Bacchus
Oil on canvas, 150 x 127 cm

The canvas examined shows the figure of Bacchus in the center, identifiable by the typical attributes of the crown of vine leaves and a bunch of grapes in one hand, while with the other he drinks copiously from a cup of wine. A red cloth covers the legs of the god of wine, while his naked chest is partially covered by a soft fur. The effects given by the chiaroscuro sculpt and highlight the powerful muscles highlighted by the nudity. Behind him an assistant offers him another bunch of grapes, while on the left side there is an interior scene with a pair of female figures, and on the right, in a landscape characterized by architecture, a scene of a wedding procession in a village with dances and musicians. This scene takes up the canvas by Johann Liss in the Landesmuseum Kunst & Kultur in Oldenburg, while the relationship between the figure of Bacchus and the servant can be related to the Bacchus and Drinker by Bartolomeo Manfredi (1600 – 1610), now preserved in the Galleria nazionale di arte antica in Palazzo Barberini in Rome.
The painting examined refers directly to the painting, made in 1642-43 by Joachim von Sandrart (1606 – 1688) and preserved in the castle of Schleißheim, as an allegory of the month of October, part of a series of twelve months (inv. 365). Given the success of the series, it can be assumed that the work was commissioned directly from the master's workshop.