Tullio Lombardo

c.1455-1532

Tullio Lombardo (c. 1455-1532) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor, renowned for his exquisite marble works. Son of Pietro Lombardo, another famous sculptor, he worked mainly in Venice, where he contributed to several major funerary and architectural monuments. One of his most remarkable works is the Nude of Adam (c. 1490-1495), considered a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture.

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Tullio Lombardo, Jeune couple (Bacchus et Ariane)

Bacchus and Ariane

An Italian sculptor of the Renaissance, Tullio Lombardo is known for the finesse of his marble works. His high relief of Bacchus and Ariadne (created around 1505-1510) is a striking example of this. Following the trend for dual portraits in the transalpine painting of the time, this sculpture shows two raised busts against a background of a Carrara marble panel. Although the iconography of this work has been the subject of many interpretations, most experts agree that the male figure can be identified as Bacchus, god of wine, thanks to the vine that delicately adorns his hair. His partner would therefore be the blonde Ariadne, daughter of Minos and wife of Bacchus. Others argue that it might simply be a representation of a real couple, with the relief likely to have been displayed for some time in the residence of a rich patrician.