Bacchanal before a Statue of Pan

In the early 1630s, Poussin was working on a major series of Bacchanals for Cardinal Richelieu which were designed to adorn his château near Orléans. The earliest of Poussin's bacchanals (not one intended for Richelieu) is the Bacchanal before a Statue of Pan in the National Gallery, London. The colours are conspicuously light, with pink and pale blue predominating.

The painting was inspired by the Bacchanal of Titian in the Villa Aldobrandini in Rome.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 7 minutes): Camille Saint-Saëns: Samson et Delila, Act III, Scene 2, Bacchanal