Two Satyrs Giving Drink to Bacchus

1540s/1560s

René Boyvin after Luca Penni

Associated Names
René Boyvin

Artist, French, c. 1525 - 1598 or c. 1625

Luca Penni

Artist After, Italian, 1500/1504 - 1556

The image displays three male figures from the waist up. The central figure is seated, with the two other figures leaning in towards him from either side. The central figure has muscular features, large eyes, a wide nose, and pointed ears, with thick foliage as hair. The other figures also have similar facial features and foliage for hair; one has horns curling from the top of his head. All three figures are depicted with the upper half of their bodies exposed, while their lower halves are covered with draped fabrics and goat hair. The central figure holds a bowl in one hand. On the right, one of the side figures holds a cluster of grapes over the central figure. The background shows a tree trunk and branches on the left, and a barrel or large container at their feet, with liquid spilling from the edge next to a rodent on the ground.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 23.6 × 16.6 cm (9 5/16 × 6 9/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1974.55.1


Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

2018

  • Sense of Humor: Caricature, Satire, and the Comical in Prints and Drawings from Leonardo to the Present, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2018 - 2019.

Wikidata ID

Q65576439

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