Louvre · INV 780 · around 1517 -1520
Bacchus by Leonardo da Vinci: Saint John transformed and awarded workshop
This large figure was probably not designed as a Bacchus. The painting was a Saint John the Baptist, transformed several generations later by the addition of grapes, ivy and thyrsus.
Leonardo's workshop · attributed to Francesco MelziShort answer
A saint who became god of wine
The painting traditionally called Bacchus is today registered by the Louvre under the title Saint John the Baptist. His first state represented the precursor of Christ: young, dressed in animal skin, his arm raised to the sky and equipped with a reed cross.
At the end of the 17th century, its iconography was "paganized". A crown of ivy and a bunch of grapes were added; the cross was changed to thyrsus. Recent scientific examinations have made it possible to distinguish these interventions from the original core.
Attribution to be used: workshop of Leonardo da Vinci, attributed to Francesco Melzi. Simply saying "painted by Leonardo" masks the current state of research and the official notice of the Louvre.
Two superimposed readings
What belonged to the saint, what makes Bacchus
The interest of the work lies precisely in this palimpsest: the pose and part of the costume remain Christian, while several added signs impose a mythological reading.
The first state: Saint John the Baptist
- Animal skin recalls ascetic life in the desert.
- The raised finger points to a higher truth and announces Christ.
- The long reed cross traditionally identifies John.
- The rocky landscape suits the preacher removed from the world.
The transformation: Bacchus
- The bunch of grapes placed in the hand calls for wine.
- The ivy crown replaces the plant attribute of the saint.
- The cross becomes a thyrsus, ritual staff of the Bachic procession.
- The sensuality of the body is reread as ancient intoxication.
Guided reading
Three details where the history of the painting remains visible
The smile in the shadows
The face emerges from a dense sfumato. This enigmatic sweetness brings the figure closer to the little one Saint John the Baptist autograph, without being enough to prove that Leonardo executed all the painting.
A Christian gesture
The raised arm and finger continue to direct the gaze beyond the painting. Even transformed into an ancient god, the character retains the visual syntax of the Precursor.
Very original skin
C2RMF reviews showed that spotted skin is not a late Bachic addition. It already belonged to Saint John and bears witness to the first religious program.
Material timeline
Five centuries of travel, retouching and restoration
Probable execution in Leonardo's close entourage, perhaps by Francesco Melzi.
Cassiano dal Pozzo sees the work in Fontainebleau and gives it again to Leonardo.
Grapes and ivy are added; the cross is converted into thyrsus.
The pictorial layer is transferred from its wooden panel to a canvas.
A major restoration comes after several centuries of transformation.
The restoration of Cinzia Pasquali and the C2RMF reviews clarify the successive states.
Cautious verdict
A Leonardo invention, a workshop execution, a possibly identifiable hand.
The formula accounts for the three levels of certainty without transforming a hypothesis into a signature.
Why does the Louvre put forward Melzi's name?
The composition is close to his research: monumental figure, indicative gesture, ambiguous smile, shadow envelope. The success of the model and its variants can signal an invention of the master.
The quality is not uniform and the painting is part of a collective practice. The disciples take drawings, boxes, processes and figures without each step being autograph.
The restoration brought the energetic drawing of the body and some botanical details closer together Vertumnus and Pomona, work signed by Melzi. The attribution remains formulated with caution.
Compare to understand
The great saint and the little Saint John of Leonardo
Large format: INV 780
The figure is installed in a landscape, almost full-length, with ample anatomy. Its dimensions favor a decorative reading and perhaps explain the ease with which the saint was converted into an ancient god.
Small format: INV 775
The holy autograph emerges from a black background, framed halfway. The smile, the raised finger and the cross make the connection obvious, but the more subtle material and the unity of the chiaroscuro distinguish Leonardo's work. See the reproduction of Saint John the Baptist.
The Francesco Melzi Trail
Look at the plants, not just the smile
Melzi was one of Leonardo's most faithful companions. He kept his papers after his death and deeply assimilated his manner. In Vertumnus and Pomona'smooth skin tones, powerful silhouettes and meticulous vegetation offer more precise points of comparison than a vague "Léonard resemblance".
The rapprochement does not transform the file into absolute certainty. He explains why the Louvre separates the idea of a workshop from the hypothesis of a particular hand: "Léonard's workshop" is the general framework; "attributed to Melzi" is the current proposition.
Image: Francesco Melzi, Vertumnus and Pomona, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin.
A shared visual type
The young, beautiful and almost ancient Saint John
The great saint of Leonardo's studio was not born in isolation. At the beginning of the 16th century, Raphael and other artists represented John as a young athletic ascetic. The border between sacred body and ancient beauty becomes deliberately porous.
This ambiguity facilitated further transformation. It was enough to modify the attributes: an already heroic body could change its identity without being entirely repainted. The comparison therefore avoids a false alternative between Christianity and paganism: the Renaissance already made them formally dialogue.
Conservation
Why support and restorations matter as much as style
The painting is no longer on its original support. The transfer from wood to canvas, carried out at the end of the 18th century, separated the pictorial layer from its original structure. This type of intervention sought to save a painting deemed fragile, but necessarily modified its surface, its tension and sometimes its reading.
Imaging
Examinations in different lights distinguish layers, repeats and later additions.
Matter
The transfer and ancient restorations explain certain irregularities that the eye could attribute too quickly to the artist.
Iconography
Ivy, grapes and thyrsus could be isolated as interventions after the first Saint John.
Attribution
The restoration once again makes visible qualities of drawing and color useful for comparison with Melzi.
Do not confuse
Saint John, Bacchus and current state: the painting in a painting
| Element | Reading Saint John | Reading Bacchus | Condition according to exams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animal skin | Asceticism in the desert | Exotic skin of the ancient procession | Original element |
| Finger raised | Announcement of Christ and salvation | Gesture of revelation or intoxication | Belongs to the primary composition |
| Stick | Reed Cross | Bacchic Thyrse | Cross transformed late |
| Ivy | No role needed | Crown of Bacchus | Later addition |
| Grapes | Not compatible with initial identity | Wine and harvest | Later addition |
See the work
At the Louvre, in room 710
The painting is indicated by the Louvre in room 710, Denon wing, level 1. Its large format - 177 × 115 cm without accessory - contrasts sharply with the small one Saint John the Baptist autograph. Seeing them in the same route allows you to directly judge the difference in scale, material and light concentration.
The presentation may change: consult it official notice of the Louvre before the visit.
Extend your gaze
Reproduction and related collections
Discover the formats and options available for this monumental composition.
Leda, Bacchus and ancient inventions linked to the master and his workshop.
Compare the worksSaint John the Baptist at Leonardo'sThe holy autograph, variants and images of the Precursor.
Frequently asked questions
What to remember about Bacchus
Was Bacchus painted by Leonardo da Vinci?
The Louvre attributes it to the workshop of Leonardo da Vinci, with an attribution proposed to Francesco Melzi. A design linked to the master remains possible, but the execution is not considered entirely autograph.
Why does the Louvre call him Saint John the Baptist?
Because the first state was Christian. The grapes, ivy and thyrsus which imposed the name Bacchus are later transformations.
When was the saint transformed into Bacchus?
The transformation is generally placed at the end of the 17th century, several generations after the painting was executed around 1517 -1520.
What elements of Bacchus have been added?
The ivy crown and grape cluster have been added. The reed cross of Saint John has been modified to take on the appearance of a thyrsus.
Is animal skin an addition?
No. Recent examinations indicate that it belonged to the first state and already referred to the life of Saint John in the desert.
Why do we think of Francesco Melzi?
The quality of the drawing, the skin tones and certain botanical details have been compared to his reliable works, in particular Vertumnus and Pomona.
Is the painting still on wood?
No. Originally painted on panel, it was transferred to canvas in the late 18th century.
Where to see the painting at the Louvre?
The museum notice currently indicates room 710, Denon wing, level 1. It is best to check its location before traveling.
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