Diana and a Leering Satyr in a Forest
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brown wash, over red and black chalk; framing line in pen and brown ink, by the artist
Dimensions
Sheet: 5 1/4 × 4 in. (13.4 × 10.1 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2013
Accession Number
2013.549
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the early 17th century, artists Adam van Vianen I and Paulusmsz. van Vianen crafted this intricate drawing, *Diana and a Leering Sat in a Forest* (ca. 1600), capturing a playful yet tense mythological encounter. Diana, the Roman goddess of hunt, stands poised with her hounds amid a dense forest, while a mischievous satyr leers suggestively from the shadows. This scene draws from classical tales where satyrs—half-human, half-goat creatures symbolizing untamed lust—often pursue chaste deities like Diana, blending erotic tension with humor in Northern European art. Executed in pen and brown i...