Bacchus met drinkschaal en druiventrossen

Bacchus is depicted as a muscular youth crowned with vine leaves and grape clusters, holding a shallow tazza high in his right hand. A small satyr at his side greedily consumes a bunch of grapes, while the central scene is enclosed in an ornate oval frame featuring masks and drinking glasses. The background shows a craggy mountain landscape, rendered with the swelling, rhythmic lines typical of the Haarlem Mannerists.

In the Neoplatonic philosophy of the Renaissance, Bacchus was the patron of 'divine frenzy' (furor divinus), a state of ecstasy described by Marsilio Ficino as a necessary step for the soul's spiritual transcendence. This work reflects the late 16th-century interest in classical mystery traditions, where Bacchic themes were used to explore the relationship between the physical senses and the elevation of the spirit.