Artwork Page for The Wine Press

Details / Information for The Wine Press

The Wine Press

c. 1517–20

Marcantonio Raimondi

(Italian, 1470/82–1527/34)

after Raphael

(Italian, 1483–1520)
Culture
Italy, 16th century
Medium
engraving
Measurements
Sheet: 18.6 x 14.7 cm (7 5/16 x 5 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Leonard C. Hanna Jr. 1922.479
Catalogue raisonné
Delaborde 136
State
I/I
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

Silenus, Bacchus's tutor, portrayed here watching the grape harvest with his wine cup, was known for his ability to drink wine straight from the barrel without mixing it with water (which was how mere mortals enjoyed the drink).

Description

Here, Silenus sits thoughtfully on a throne, wine cup in hand, accompanied by harvesters who carry and transfer grapes. The composition was invented by renowned painter Raphael, with whom engraver Marcantonio Raimondi had a long-standing collaborative relationship. The powerful poses of Silenus, the crouching man, and the statuesque woman can be traced to relief-carved Roman sarcophagi (stone coffins) probably known to Raphael. The print may record part of a now-lost painted bacchanalia image made by Raphael for the Duke of Ferrara’s palace in Italy. Bacchic subject matter showed the duke to be a cultured man who also gave a good party.
A vertically oriented black ink print on gray-white paper depicts various people with light skin tones carrying fruit. In the upper right, a nude, plump man leans against a barrel and holds a bowl. He looks toward a woman wearing flowing drapery, stepping away from him and holding a basket of fruit on her head as she turns toward us. To our left two nude, chubby children support another basket of fruit while, at the front of the scene, a bearded, muscular man kneels and empties grapes into a larger basin.

The Wine Press

c. 1517–20

Marcantonio Raimondi, Raphael

(Italian, 1470/82–1527/34), (Italian, 1483–1520)
Italy, 16th century

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