Panthers of Bacchus Eating Grapes
Alexandre François Desportes·ca. 1719–20
Historical Context
Alexandre François Desportes' Panthers of Bacchus Eating Grapes from around 1719-20 is a study for a decorative painting by the foremost animal and hunting painter at the court of Louis XIV and XV. Desportes, who was appointed painter of the royal hunts, produced an extraordinary body of animal studies alongside his finished decorative paintings. The subject of Bacchus' panthers—the leopards that drew the wine god's chariot—was a mythological decoration subject suited to grand interiors.
Technical Analysis
Desportes' oil on paper, laid on card, demonstrates the direct, fresh approach of his animal studies with confident brushwork capturing the leopards' muscular forms and dappled coats. The sketch-like freedom contrasts with the high finish of his exhibition paintings.
