The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 20, 2025
A Satyr Family Traveling
c. 1657
(Italian, 1610–1664)
Sheet: 22.4 x 22.4 cm (8 13/16 x 8 13/16 in.)
Gift of George P. Bickford 1963.171
Catalogue raisonné: De Vesme - Massar I.69.103
Location: 101A Prints & Drawings
Did You Know?
The patriarch of this satyr family carries a pan flute on his hip. Named for Pan, shepherd god and friend of Bacchus in classical mythology, the pan flute was associated with pastoral settings.Description
The idea of a satyr family captured the imagination of many artists. Stefano Della Bella’s portrayal features a father and mother who travel with their satyr son, maenad daughter, and a herd of goats while carrying a grape harvest. Della Bella deliberately evoked images of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph on their flight to Egypt. Whereas the Holy Family is sacred and chaste, the satyr family is rooted in bodily pleasures. Theirs is a union fueled by wine and revelry, embodying the reckless fertility of nature.- ?–1963(R. M. Light & Co., Inc., Santa Barbara, CA, sold to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH)May 11, 1963–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- In Vino Veritas (In Wine, Truth). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 7, 2025-January 11, 2026).Stefano Della Bella; Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione; Jacques Bellange; Jacques Callot. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (May 7-July 13, 1980).Florence and the Arts: Five Centuries of Patronage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 13-September 19, 1971).Year in Review (1963). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 27, 1963-January 5, 1964).
- {{cite web|title=A Satyr Family Traveling|url=false|author=Stefano Della Bella|year=c. 1657|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1963.171