Bacchanal (Bacanal)

In Ancient Rome, Bacchanal was name attributed to religious rituals connected with worship of the god Bacchus during the grape harvest. They were secret and attended by women only, and only later by men. At last they took place in public spaces, in the city or in the countryside, till their prohibition. The participants sang and danced semi-naked to the sound of several musical instruments, namely flutes and drums.


Bacanal era nome atribuído na Antiga Roma aos rituais religiosos ligados ao culto do deus Baco por ocasião das vindimas. Eram secretos e frequentados apenas por mulheres; só mais tarde por homens. Por fim, realizavam-se em locais públicos citadinos ou campestres até serem proibidos. As participantes cantavam e dançavam semi-nuas ao som de diversos instrumentos musicais, nomeadamente flautas e tambores.

Paul Jean Gervais (1859-1936)-'bacchanal'-oil on canvas Private collection

Francesco Zuccarelli (1702-1782)-'bacchanal'-oil on canvas-(1740-1750) Venezia-Gallerie dell'Accademia

Aimé Gabriel Adolphe Bourgoin (1824- )-'a bacchanal'-oil on canvas-1866 Private collection

Lovis Franz Heinrich Louis Corinth (1858-1923)-'bacchanal'-oil on canvas-1896 Gelsenkirchen-Stadtlisches Museum

Fritz Zuber-Buhler (1822-1896)-'queen bacchanal'-oil on canvas-1864 Private collection