Girolamo Barrufaldi - Baccanali - 1758

Rare exemplar of Barrufaldi’s Bacchanales, which stages a lush pagan celebration where the cult of Bacchus becomes a pretext for the exaltation of the senses and movement. The figures, swept up by dance, wine, and music, seem to lose all restraint in an atmosphere of joyful and troubling freedom. The composition, rich and animated, plays on the abundance of bodies and gestures to convey collective intoxication. The light heightens the scene’s theatricality and reinforces the impression of excess. The work thus oscillates between festive pleasure and a moral reflection on the dangers of excess.

Girolamo Baruffaldi, born in Ferrara in 1675 and died in 1755, is mainly known as an art historian and Italian scholar. Deeply attached to his native city, he dedicates most of his work to documenting and valorizing Ferrara artists. His major work, Vite de’ pittori e scultori ferraresi, constitutes a fundamental source for knowledge of the Ferrara school. A cultivated humanist, he is interested as much in history and literature as in the visual arts. His work has helped preserve the memory of many regional artists and give them a lasting place in the history of art.




Girolamo BARRUFALDI - Bacchanals

Bologna, 1758. Second edition.

Complete in 3 volumes, octavo (pp. XVI, 272; (6), 291; (8), 289).

Full vellum bindings, rear in good condition. Slight wear to the corners and spine ends. Small scattered stains. Interior with foxing and damp stains more or less pronounced. One tear without affecting the text.

Nice copy!