Bacchante
by VIGÉE-LEBRUN, Élisabeth, Oil on canvas, 88 x 75 cm
Crowned with a wreath of grapes and vines, this smiling woman with flushed cheeks represents a bacchante - a follower of the wine god Bacchus. Though Vig�e-Lebrun was a successful portraitist, this work was probably not intended as an image of a particular individual. Instead, the mythological theme allowed the artist to paint an openly erotic image and demonstrate her skill capturing lively facial expressions.