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In the centre of the painting is a red-haired boy lifting up a bottle full of wine, probably just filled up from the barrel he is sitting on. His dopey grin and blushed cheeks evidently show signs of intoxication. The subject of the canvas refers to Bacchus, the god of wine and festivities. His realistic face features as well as his garments hint that the boy was painted probably after a real-life model, maybe a court jester.
The painting is attributed to Giovanni da San Giovanni. The playful and light ambiance is very similar to the ones featured by a specific circle of artists working in Florence in the 17th century. According to the grotesque taste typical of this genre, this kind of paintings also used to represent proverbs or popular sayings as well as allegories of the five senses (in this case, the sense of Taste).
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