Un "Baco y Ariadna" de Michele Desubleo en Barcelona

The author presents a Bacchus and Ariadne by the Flemish Michele Desubleo (1602-1676), in a private collection in Barcelona, his first and, at present, only known work in Spain. The painting, datable to c. 1670 during the artist’s last phase of activity in Parma for its subdued palette and hardened draperies, is a perfect example of his expressive world, characterised by a theatrical and operatic dramatism, in connexion with the strong interest for this musical form in the court of duke Ranuccio II Farnese. We do not know if the painter ever had the opportunity of assisting to a representation of Monteverdi’s Arianna; anyhow, the moment represented in the painting finds an exact correspondence in the verses of Ottavio Rinuccini’s libretto for that opera.
Keywords: Bacchus and Ariadne; Desubleo; Reni; Lanfranco; Monteverdi; Sala i Ardiz.