Bacchanal

Lauri treated the subject of Pan and the Bacchanalia on various occasions. This signed and dated painting depicts a Bacchanal, a group of figures merrily dancing and drinking while others make a devotion of flowers to Pan, the Greek god of nature, shepherds, hunting and music. In the centre, a maenad and a satyr dance and to the right other satyrs drink and putti play music. Most striking among the revellers is the urinating child; Lauri may have been inspired by the presence of a similar putti in Titian’s early masterpiece, the Bacchanal of the Andrians.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 7 minutes):

Camille Saint-Saëns: Samson et Delila, Act III, Scene 2, Bacchanal