The Feast of the Gods

The Feast of the Gods by Giovanni Bellini is one of many paintings commissioned by the Duke of Ferrara to decorate his camerino or study.[1]  Since the commission was from Ferrara, the canvas is a large Ferrarese styled parchment. [2]This painting was originally given to Bellini, but it is suspected that after he had completed the piece the patron told Titian to alter some aspects of the painting.[3]  The image depicts a group of Greek gods having a feast and drinking while being served by nymph and satyrs.  This event takes place in a pastoral setting.

When the audience first looks at Bellini's work their eyes are drawn towards the group of mythological figures in the center of the painting.  On the right hand side, we are first greeted by a nymph clothed in glistening white clothes that flows with her layed out body.  A man pulls at her dress who can be identified as Priapus, the god of fertility.  He wears a more off-white shirt and a green overgarment.  As you move to the left the viewers eyes are greeted with more rich pastel colors like light blues, bright oranges, salmon pinks, earthy greens, dark maroons, and other eye-catching colors.  The group is made up of various greek gods like Neptune, Jupiter and Apollo along with one donkey and a handful of nymphs and satyrs that are serving the gods.  The gods in the painting were less recognizable until Titian gave the gods symbols of their attributes. All of the people are frozen in their positions, executing their actions forever.  In the foreground of the piece there are collections of rocks along with a small pool of water with a bird nearby.  The background of this piece is quite astounding with rich, earth toned colors.  There is a mountain behind the group of gods that towers over them and is covered in trees and various other greenery.  Above it is a partly cloudy sky that spans multiple shades of blue and eventually transitions into a sunset on the right side of the canvas.  The trees that stand on the right side of this work are a part of the piece that Titian altered to extend the skyline as requested by the patron.  This painting has a mythological interest that creates a freeze frame portrait of a feast with various Greek gods and goddesses.

Giovanni Bellini; Titian

Nalezyty, Susan. "Giovanni Bellini's "Feast of the Gods" and Banquets of the Ancient Ritual Calendar." The Sixteenth Century Journal 40, no. 3 (2009): 745-68. Accessed October 28, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40540784.

xMANCA, JOSEPH. "What Is Ferrarese about Bellini's Feast of the Gods?" Studies in the History of Art 45 (1993): 300-13. Accessed October 28, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42621889.

PLESTERS, JOYCE. "Examination of Giovanni Bellini's Feast of the Gods: A Summary and Interpretation of the Results." Studies in the History of Art 45 (1993): 374-91. Accessed October 28, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42621893.

Giovanni Bellini and Titian, Italian. 1514/1529. The Feast of the Gods. Painting. Place: The National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), Widener Collection. https://library.artstor.org/asset/ANGAIG_10313966996.

Duke of Ferrara Alfonso II d'Este

1514; 1529

Darien Sansosti

Contact information: NGA Images, National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Washington DC 20565, ngaimages@nga.gov
Image: Courtesy of National Gallery of Art, Washington

170.2 x 188 cm; Framed: 203.8 x 218.4 x 7.6 cm

Painting; oil on canvas

National Gallery Of Art; Washington D.C., The United States of America