Satyr Resting beneath a Herm
Medium
Etching on paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 11.8 × 21.3 cm (4 11/16 × 8 7/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
40779
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The Baroque Italian etcher and innovator par excellence, Castiglione employed his signature flourish in this oblong view of revelers regaining their strength after a bacchanal. A satyr sets himself down on the steps below a portly herm, likely a depiction of Pan: the flock of goats on the right attentively raise their heads toward the sculpture as if awaiting orders.
About the Artist
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione · 1609–1664
Versatile and eclectic artist open to foreign influence which was unusual for an Italian artist of his time. Some of his best-known works are somewhat fantastical. He was court painter at Mantua from 1648. Comment on works: Religious; Landscapes; Animals; Mythology.