MOLA, Pier Francesco
(b. 1612, Coldrerio, d. 1666, Roma)

Bacchus Overseeing the Crushing of Grapes by His Satyrs

1648-49
Oil on canvas, 195 x 232 cm
Private collection

The scale of this large canvas is rare for the artist, as is the depiction of figures in almost life-size proportions. While his earlier works displayed an inclination toward the sensitive depiction of landscape, upon his arrival in Rome in 1647, Mola absorbed the influence of Guercino and artists such as Nicolas Régnier and Orazio Riminaldi working in the wake of Caravaggio, whose compositions gave greater prominence to the representation of figures.