Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos of Crete, is here seated on clouds, facing to the left. She is bare breasted, and gestures downwards with her left hand; her right hand holds drapery at her waist. According to Greek mythology, Ariadne was abandoned by Theseus on the island of Naxos. There she was discovered by Bacchus, who made her his wife and placed the crown he gave her amid the stars. In this painting the crown of stars is visible in the sky above and to the left of Ariadne's head.

The painting is one of a series of twelve mythological scenes of gods and mortals by Pellegrini, all of autograph quality. The history of their commission is not known and the series may be incomplete, but the poses of the figures suggest that the canvases were part of a decorative scheme. There is no evidence that this was a royal commission; the paintings may have entered the collection because of the destruction of a house for which they were originally intended. One of the series, Endymion (RCIN 405481), appears on the wall in Philippe Mercier's The Music Party of 1733 (RCIN 402414), which shows Frederick, Prince of Wales, performing with his sisters (in a room that has never been securely identified). This makes Frederick the most likely purchaser of the set, though the only evidence directly linking them to him.