The vertically oriented painting depicts five figures in a natural landscape on a sunny day: three women—the titular bacchantes—and two men. Bacchantes are companions of Bacchus, the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Dionysus. Warm, yellow-toned colors dominate the composition. Light falls on the left side of the painting, highlighting the half-nude bodies of the women.

In the foreground on the right, a woman lies on the ground, turned toward the left and shown to the knees. She has light hair pinned back, with curled strands framing the sides of her head. Her face is elongated and fair, with a high, broad, evenly lit forehead. Her eyebrows are light and full, her dark eyes slightly narrowed. She has a long, slender nose and gently parted thin lips. Her cheeks are flushed. She wears a loose white garment and a necklace of white pearls. On her lap she holds a cornucopia filled with fruit, which she supports with her right hand. Her left arm is bent at the elbow and slightly raised.

Bending over her is a satyr—a mythological creature depicted as a man with goat-like features. The satyr here is shown to the waist. He is muscular, with dark hair and a long, dark beard. Vine leaves decorate his hair. His skin is rather dark, contrasting with the women’s fair complexions. His ears are long and pointed. His expression is pleased; he smiles. His eyebrows and eyes are dark, and his gaze is directed toward the women on the left. He is nude except for a leopard skin draped over his right shoulder. With his hands placed on the woman’s shoulders, at chest height, he holds a small round fruit—likely a peach.

Behind the satyr stands an older man, facing the viewer, his head turned to the left. His figure is partly concealed behind the satyr, on whom he rests his arms. He has short, curly grey hair and a beard. His skin shares the same dark tone as the satyr’s. He has thick grey eyebrows and dark eyes. His nose is rounded, his lips closed. He wears a black shirt and supports his chin with his left hand.

In the lower left corner, another woman sits on the ground, turned with her right side to the viewer. She raises her head upward. Light falls on her torso, leaving her face partially in shadow. Her skin is fair and luminous. She has golden hair pinned back, with a few shorter strands falling across her round face. Only the right profile of her face is visible. Her eyebrows and eyes are dark. She has a small, straight nose and parted lips. Her cheeks are rosy. Her gaze is directed upward. A small earring with a transparent bead hangs from her right ear. Her shoulders, breasts, and arms are exposed. Behind her are fragments of dark fabric joined by a gold strap running from her right shoulder to her neckline. On her lap rests a wicker basket full of fruit, which she holds by the rim with her right hand. In her left hand, bent and slightly raised, she holds a small fruit.

Above the fair-haired woman sits another woman with brown hair pinned back. Her head is turned to the right. She has a broad forehead, dark eyebrows and eyes, a slender nose, and slightly parted lips revealing her front teeth. Her round face is flushed. She is half-nude, with bare shoulders and breasts. She is draped in two fabrics: a white cloth and a red one layered over it. She leans on the golden-haired woman with her right arm, while her left arm hangs loosely along her side.

In the background, trees frame the composition. On the left stands a tree that appears partially dead. Its upper part is broken and leafless, with a single branch jutting vertically upward. Its bark is light and smooth. On the right, in shadow, grow two massive trees with wide trunks. One stands forward, the other just behind it to the left. Their rough bark is irregularly cracked. The crowns extend beyond the frame. The space between the trees is filled with foliage occupying most of the upper right corner. In the distance, between the heavy trunks and the dead tree, stretches a patch of blue sky with white clouds.

The artist illustrates a mythological scene described in the tragedy The Bacchae by Euripides. It tells the story of King Pentheus, who, opposing the worship of Dionysus, secretly spied on the ritual held in the god’s honor. When discovered, the frenzied bacchantes tore him to pieces. The elderly man on the right is likely Pentheus, depicted here moments before his tragic death.

Audio description: Emilia Szymańska
Consultation: Adrian Wyka
Content consultation: Miłosz Kargol