Versailles, Coin de Parc

This statue of a grinning Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, looms over a corner of the park at Versailles, squeezing grapes into a bowl as if beseeching visitors to celebrate and make merry. The weathered facade of the statue, however, contrasts with Bacchus's role as a god who should be attended and worshipped; like the overturned chair and the scattered dead leaves, it emphasizes the abandonment of the park. Although a place of great festivities, the empty park appeared desolate and neglected when Eugène Atget photographed it.