Michelangelo's Bacchus, a more subtle and complex work of figure sculpture than has been recognized, can be fully understood only when it is seen from several different angles by a spectator walking around it. In some views the figure seems to be lurching and off-balance, while in others he appears stable and gracefully poised. This study is an analysis of the varying impressions gained from a number of significant views of the figure, and argues that Michelangelo consciously sought to add a temporal dimension to the work by having Bacchus appear to lose, regain, then lose his balance again.