Bacchus and Ariadne

Fan with carved, pierced and gilt mother of pearl sticks and guards.

The double leaf is painted on the recto with the myth of Bacchus and Ariadne, as referenced in the work of Ovid.
The subject depicted is the moment Bacchus (god of wine and fertility) catches sight of Ariadne, after she had been abandoned on the island of Naxos by Theseus, King of Athens. Bacchus immediately falls in love with Ariadne and sets her crown as a constellation in the sky. Ariadne points to Theseus' retreating vessel in the distance.

The verso is painted with two figures in a landscape.