This is an early sketch for the composition of Bacchus and Ariadne commissioned by Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, for a private chamber in his St. Cloud château. In the final painting (now at the Philadelphia Museum of Art), the two main groups of figures—Bacchus and Ariadne to the left, and a satyr and nymph seated on the ground to the right—remain intact, but most of the other putti and nymphs have been rearranged significantly. The function of this drawing is to set the rhythm and movement and to identify the placement of the major characters. Coypel also uses the red chalk to help map out the color blocks, further developing the dynamism of the finished work. While the details are obscure, the drawing nevertheless communicates the energy and tension inherent in the subject.

from Snay, The Epic and the Intimate: French Drawings from the John D. Reilly Collection (Notre Dame, 2011)