Artwork Page for Bacchanales

Details / Information for Bacchanales

Bacchanales

1763

Jean-Honoré Fragonard

(French, 1732–1806)
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Culture
France, 18th century
Medium
Set of 4 etchings
Credit Line
Severance and Greta Millikin Trust 2012.64
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Jean-Honoré Fragonard made these four etchings shortly after returning to Paris from Italy, where he studied antique subjects and sculpture. He may have also looked at other sources for inspiration, such as Jacques François Joseph Saly’s suite of vase designs. Though the prints feature the followers of Bacchus, the wine god does not make an appearance. Instead, Fragonard highlighted the playfully erotic frolics, conflicts, and even family life of a group of bacchants, conceiving them as low-relief sculptures on stone fragments within abundant foliage. Fragonard’s creations helped to popularize revelries in nature in French art, architecture, and garden design during the later 1700s.
A horizontally oriented black ink etching on light paper depicts a nude woman with light skin tone sitting in an oval vignette. On either side, two nude satyrs with horns and goat legs kneel and reach for her limbs. Dense foliage and tall grass frame the oval. Detailed black lines create textures of hair, fur, and lush leaves throughout the composition.

Bacchanales

1763

Jean-Honoré Fragonard

(French, 1732–1806)
France, 18th century

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