Sebastiano Ricci was born in Belluno, and studied in Venice. He worked largely in Venice, but also in Parma. He visited Rome, Florence and other Italian cities. In 1712-16(?) he was in England, returning to Venice via France and possibly Holland. He died in Venice. Ricci was a leading decorative painter of the period. He was elected to both the Paris and Bologna Academies of art.
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Sebastiano Ricci
1659 - 1734
Paintings by Sebastiano Ricci

This work depicts one of the most popular mythological themes for paintings from the late Renaissance onward: the love story between Bacchus, the god of wine, and Ariadne, daughter of King Minos of Crete. Bacchus discovered Ariadne on the island of Naxos, where she had been abandoned by the Greek...

In this painting we see Esther, the Jewish heroine of the Old Testament, presenting herself to Ahasuerus, King of Persia, in an attempt to save the Jewish population of Persia, who he had condemned to death. In doing so, she risked her life: approaching the King without his permission was punisha...