Bacchus, the Greek god of wine, is shown wearing a crown of laurels and appears somewhat tipsy. His wife

the king’s daughter Ariadne

leads the wedding party onward, her arm raised in a triumphant gesture. This enormous mythological wedding scene seems intoxicating and this is no coincidence. Hans Makart originally devised this over thirty-seven-square-meter painting as a stage curtain for the recently built Comic Opera in Vienna. However, as the surface was too reflective, it was never actually installed at the theater. The work has been in the Belvedere’s collection since 1921 and when in storage it is rolled up due to its vast scale. Its display requires a large team as equal tension needs to be applied when stretching the work onto the frame.