A Faun Grasping a Bunch of Grapes

after 1616–18

studio of Peter Paul Rubens

(Flemish, 1577–1640)

Culture

Flanders

Medium

black chalk and brush and brown wash; framing lines in pen and black ink

Support

Beige(2) laid paper, discolored to beige-brown

Measurements

Sheet: 37.8 x 26.2 cm (14 7/8 x 10 5/16 in.)

Credit Line

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1943.341

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Swirling draperies like the one haphazardly worn by this faun do more than conceal, in many cases they reveal an artist's technical skill. To render folds and gathers in fabric, artists used chiaroscuro, meaning contrasting light and dark tones.

Description

This drawing relates to a finished painting (now lost) by Peter Paul Rubens that depicted a faun (a woodland creature similar to a satyr) squeezing grapes into the mouth of a young Bacchus. That figure, shown here, could be Silenus, who educated Bacchus on the pleasures of wine, revelry, and nature. Rubens ran a large studio and employed numerous apprentices, one of whom may have made this copy after the original painting. As a form of instruction, Rubens added ink wash to the drawing to enhance the shading on the figure and shadows behind it.