Nymph Astride a Satyr
Jean Honoré Fragonard
1763 · Etching · Drawings and Prints
In this print set of four etchings (see also 1996.238.1, .3 and .4), Fragonard presents playful bacchanalian scenes in the form of ancient stone reliefs framed by lush, sun-dappled greenery. Whether the reliefs are based on actual antiquities (as was long assumed) or are products of the artist’s imagination, the result is a tour de force of etching. The satyrs, the nymphs, and their offspring are imbued with a convincing sense of animation that belies the conceit of the compositions as depicting time-forgotten relics.
- Artist
- Jean Honoré Fragonard
- Date
- 1763
- Medium
- Etching
- Department
- Drawings and Prints
- Credit line
- The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1996
