Bacchus Seated on a Barrel between Amor and Music
Medium
engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 44 × 29.5 cm (17 5/16 × 11 5/8 in.) sheet: 53.1 × 37.5 cm (20 7/8 × 14 3/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ruth and Jacob Kainen Memorial Acquisition Fund
Accession Number
2015.15.1
Art Historical Context
In the enchanting engraving *Bacchus Seated on a Barrel between Amor and Music*, created around 1590, Flemish engraver Jan Sadeler I masterfully reproduces a design by fellow countryman Joos van Winghe. This lively scene captures the Roman god of wine, Bacchus, lounging atop a barrel flanked by the playful Amor (Cupid) and personifications of Music, evoking the Renaissance revelry in pleasure, love, and harmony. The composition, measuring a substantial 44 × 29.5 cm on laid paper, brims with dynamic energy, characteristic of late 16th-century Northern European Mannerism. Sadeler's engraving te...