← Carlo Faucci

Bacchus accompanied by a Bacchante and a faun (1768, Met-Objekt 1273)

Original title: Bacchus accompanied by a Bacchante and a faun

Artist

Carlo Faucci

Date

1768

Medium

Etching and engraving

Dimensions

Image: 13 9/16 × 12 1/16 in. (34.5 × 30.7 cm) Sheet (Trimmed): 15 5/8 × 12 3/4 in. (39.7 × 32.4 cm)

Credit line

Gift of Georgiana W. Sargent, in memory of John Osborne Sargent, 1924

kurzbeschreibung

Carlo Faucci's etching from 1768 presents Bacchus together with a bacchante and a faun. Executed in etching and engraving, the print stages a scene from a bacchanal.

Description

Bacchus, bearded and with a wreath of leaves and grapes on his brow, holds a bunch of grapes and laughs. To his left stands a bacchante with curly hair, also carrying grapes. On the right appears a smiling faun with a flower, while in the foreground a dog with an alert gaze leans forward. The bodies are given in animated poses that make movement and interaction palpable.

Context

This print dates to 1768, a time when Roman antiquity and its myths were strongly present in art. Bacchanals, the boisterous festivals in honor of the wine god Bacchus, numbered among popular motifs. Faucci worked as an engraver and produced reproductions after designs by well-known painters; the present etching likely came about as a printed reproduction of a painting.

Impact

The expressive faces and the lively design make the motif appear immediate and moving. Fine shading gives the monochrome etching a sculptural effect and lends the scene dramatic depth.

Technique

Etching and engraving come together here, which allows precise linework and differentiated tonal gradations. Dense hatching creates the shadows that give the figures volume and the image spatial depth.

AI-generated description text

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)