The Bacchus is one of the first monumental sculptures created by Michelangelo, when he was only 20 years old. This work is inspired by classical sculpture, with its elegance and smooth surface. It depicts the god of wine, Bacchus, in an unstable posture, as if he were drunk, staring into space and holding a cup that he seems about to drop. A mocking faun is placed behind him, eating a bunch of grapes. Michelangelo sculpted this statue during his first stay in Rome and exhibited it in the courtyard of the Palace of Chancellery, in direct confrontation with ancient sculptures. This work immediately brought him fame in Rome, and soon after the Vatican commissioned his first major work, the Pietà.
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