| TITIAN | Venetian painter of Bacchus and Ariadne |
| ESTE | Family of Italian rulers including Alfonso I, Duke of Ferrara, patron of the arts for whom Bellini painted The Feast of the Gods and Titian created Bacchus and Ariadne (4) |
| CARAVAGGIO | Artist born Michelangelo Merisi noted for still lifes of flowers and fruit, half-length figures such as The Boy Bitten by a Lizard and Bacchus and for decorating the Contarelli Chapel (10) |
| POUSSIN | French classical artist who painted A Dance to the Music of Time, the Venetian-inspired The Nurture of Bacchus, the pastoral Et in Arcadia ego and The Four Seasons series (7) |
| PALMA | Venetian painter born Jacopo Negretti, whose many portraits of ladies includes one of a blonde woman holding a posy of buttercups, forget-me-nots and primroses (5) |
| COMUS | Roman god of revelry, son of Bacchus |
| MAENAD | Me and a demented frenzied support of Bacchus (6) |
| ARIADNE | Bacchus and -; painting by Titian (7) |
| LOTTO | Venetian painter whose Portrait of a Young Man in his Study includes a detail of scattered rose petals thought to allude to the transience of love; or, bingo, a draw or housey-housey (5) |
| DEAD | and 12dn, 1956 novel by Agatha Christie featuring Hercule Poirot and Ariadne Oliver (4,4,5) |
| MRS | and 21ac, 1952 novel by Agatha Christie featuring the characters Hercule Poirot and Ariadne Oliver |
| CRETANS | Minos and Ariadne, e.g. |
| MINOTAUR | Which mythical monster was killed by Theseus and Ariadne (8) |
| SECRETE | Hide Theseus and Ariadne, ultimately, above minotaur's home |
| DIONYSUS | Greek god of wine who is the counterpart of Bacchus (8) |
| BZERS | Devotees of Bacchus |
| THYRSUS | Staff of Bacchus |
| MAENADIC | Like female followers of Bacchus |
| SATYR | Follower of Bacchus |
| UFFIZI | Art gallery that houses Caravaggio's painting of Bacchus (6) |
