Bacchanal with Silenus
Andrea Mantegna · 1475/80 · Art Institute of Chicago
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From the museum
Andrea Mantegna’s adoption of ancient Roman motifs contributed to their prominence during the Italian Renaissance, especially when translated into widely circulating and frequently copied engravings. Mantegna’s oblong bacchanalian subjects particularly extol the wonders of the god of wine as well as the excesses of his entourage. Indeed, in this print of a procession-like grouping of figures, Dionysos’s portly, inebriated sidekick Silenos receives mock preferential treatment as he is lifted by satyrs and crowned with grapevines. The drunken satyrs, nymphs, and humans sing, make music, and grapple with unwieldy flesh as they cross a pool of wine and press on through the vineyard.
The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Details
- Maker
- Workshop of Andrea Mantegna, Italian, 1431-1506
- Date
- 1475/80
- Medium
- Engraving on laid paper
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 31.2 × 44.3 cm (12 5/16 × 17 1/2 in.)
- Place of origin
- Italy
- Held by
- Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · Not on view
- Credit line
- Bequest of Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.
Image: Art Institute of Chicago, CC0
