Collection Online as of November 30, 2023

Bacchanales: The Satyr's Dance

1763

Part of a set. See all set records

Jean-Honoré Fragonard

(French, 1732–1806)

France, 18th century

Etching

Sheet: 14.8 x 21.3 cm (5 13/16 x 8 3/8 in.); Image: 13.6 x 20.3 cm (5 3/8 x 8 in.)

Severance and Greta Millikin Trust 2012.64.4

Catalogue raisonné: Wildenstein 6

State: I/II

Location

not on view

Description

Fragonard created these charming etchings shortly after returning from Italy, where he encountered similar Roman antiquities. Satyrs and nymphs frolic in this suite of playfully erotic scenes, which he conceived as low-relief sculptures on stone fragments nestled in the foliage of country gardens. The abundant vegetation—as well as the satyr and human children—symbolizes the wild fecundity of nature.

Provenance

Mr. and Mrs. R. Stanley Johnson, Chicago

Exhibition history

Artists and Amateurs: Etching in Eighteenth Century France. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (October 1, 2013-January 5, 2014).

Elegance and Intrigue: French Society in 18th-century Prints and Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 16-November 6, 2016).