The figure of Bacchus, the faun with an animal skin over his torso and a hand on his flank was described in 1568 by Giorgio Vasari among the ancient works which were part of the decoration in the Hall of the Niches in Palazzo Pitti.
An ancient torso of a satyr, characterized by a pardalis (panther skin), of notable quality was transformed by a sculptor of the 16th century- by some believed to be Sansovino- into a particularly vivid and joyous representation of Bacchus. The god, still young, represented standing on his left leg with the right slightly bent, has his left arm resting on his flank. And with his right arm he raises high a cluster of grapes, holding a grape leaf firmly with his right index finger. Bacchus’ beautiful face, with his forehead and hair bound by a strap on which rests a crown of grapevines and leaves, is characterized by a particularly intense expression, one almost veiled with melancholy which reveals the hand of a great sculptor.
The cleaning was done utilizing blotters saturated with deionized water. In some places, where the dirt had penetrated deeply, strips of Japanese paper were applied for 5-10 minutes. On other areas the cleaning was done with a watery solution of sodium carbonate at 15% which was then removed with distilled water. All of the stuccoed areas were removed and the gesso was replaced with a mixture of marble dust and 15% acrylic resin binder. A large cemented area which covered the back of the neck where it attaches to the body was removed using a small scalpel and bistouries with a thin blade. The iron staffs were freed from oxidation using metal micro-brushes and then treatment with a substance which protects the metal.
