The Feast of the Gods

A 1514 oil painting by Giovanni Bellini, later altered by Titian, depicts classical deities gathered in a wooded landscape. It is a major work of Renaissance mythological painting.

Giovanni Bellini: An Italian Renaissance painter associated with the Venetian school, known for religious works and luminous color. Bellini painted the original work in 1514 for Alfonso I d'Este.
Oil painting: A painting made with pigments bound in a drying oil, commonly applied in layered films. Its oil medium supports the painting's detailed figures and tonal landscape.
Alfonso I d'Este: The Duke of Ferrara from 1505 to 1534, a major patron of Renaissance art and architecture. He commissioned the painting for a private room in his palace.
Classical mythology: The body of myths and religious traditions of ancient Greece and Rome. The painting assembles figures from the classical divine world.
Titian: A Venetian Renaissance painter celebrated for expressive color, brushwork, and portraits. Titian altered the landscape and trees in Bellini's composition.
Pentimenti: Visible or concealed changes an artist makes while developing a painting. Examination of the canvas reveals revisions made during its creation and alteration.
Duchy of Ferrara: A Renaissance Italian state ruled by the Este dynasty, centered on the city of Ferrara. The painting originated within the Este court's artistic culture.
Priapus: A minor Greco-Roman fertility god, commonly represented with an oversized phallus. His attempted assault on Lotis gives the feast its comic and unsettling episode.
Dosso Dossi: An Italian Renaissance painter active at the court of Ferrara, known for mythological and poetic scenes. Dosso Dossi contributed to the later decoration of the camerino that housed the painting.
X-ray radiography: An imaging method that uses X-rays to reveal features beneath a painting's surface. Radiographs help distinguish Bellini's underlying design from later changes.

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