Bacchanal
mid-18th century
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
sheet: 6 3/4 x 9 15/16 in. (17.2 x 25.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1957
Accession Number
57.581.28
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the exuberant world of *Bacchanal*, a-18th-century etching French artist Louis Félix de La Rue. This lively print captures the mythical frenzy of a bacchanalian revelry, featuring dancing male and female nudes playful satyrs—creatures from classical mythology symbolizing uninhibited joy and abandon. Rendered on a modest sheet measuring 6 3/4 x 9 15/16 inches, the work pulses with Rococo flair, evoking the era's delight in sensual, decorative themes inspired by ancient Greek and Roman festivities honoring Bacchus, the god of wine. La Rue, a skilled etcher active in Paris, mastered th...