There is a renewed splendor to Venetian master Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s “Bacchus and Ariadne” (circa 1743–45). The colors of this masterpiece are once again alive, thanks to a four-year conservation project by the National Gallery of Art in Washington. Bacchus, the god of wine, can now be seen, as he should, in full fecundity.
Place the before and after images beside one another, and you’d be forgiven for thinking they were almost different scenes. The former painting had almost been overtaken by a sickly sepia hue. And much more has been revealed in the restoration, especially in the border details. Now the whole scene lifts off the canvas, almost dancing with its lighter tones of blues and pinks.
