Bacchanal
c. 1550
Medium
Engraving in black on two sheets of ivory laid paper, joined through the center
Dimensions
Image: 45.1 × 55.4 cm (17 13/16 × 21 13/16 in.); Plate: 45.5 × 55.8 cm (17 15/16 × 22 in.); Sheets: 46.5 × 57.4 cm (18 5/16 × 22 5/8 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
220729
Art Historical Context
**Bacchanal** by Giulio Sanuto, around 1550, captures the exuberant spirit of classical revelry in a grand-scale engraving. This Venetian artist, active in the mid-16th century, in intricate prints that echoed the vibrant mythological scenes of Renaissance masters like Titian. The title evokes a Bacchic festival—wild dances, flowing wine, and ecstatic figures inspired by ancient Roman myths—blending sensuality with classical antiquity, a popular theme during Italy's High Renaissance. Printed in black ink on two sheets of ivory laid paper meticulously joined at the center, the work measures an...