Bacchanal with Silenus

The engraving Bacchanal with Silenus was executed by the Workshop of Andrea Mantegna Italian, 1431-1506, between 1475 and 1480. This detailed print, executed using the demanding technique of engraving on laid paper, demonstrates the period's profound engagement with classical antiquity. Though created by the workshop rather than Mantegna himself, the composition reflects the master's precise draughtsmanship and his innovative approach to capturing classical form and narrative intensity. Mantegna was pivotal in establishing the artistic and technical standards for printmaking in Northern Italy during the late fifteenth century, a medium that allowed his influential designs to reach a wider audience.

The work's subject is drawn directly from Roman mythology, depicting a riotous procession surrounding the drunken figure of Silenus, the mythical tutor and companion of the wine god, Bacchus. The figures of satyrs, nymphs, and other revelers are rendered with an intense study of idealized anatomy and dramatic motion, linking the contemporary art practices in Italy directly back to ancient sculptural reliefs.

The execution of this engraving relies on extremely fine cross-hatching to model the figures and create deep tonal contrasts, reinforcing the work’s sculptural aesthetic which characterized the output of the 1431-1506 school. Because prints could be easily circulated across Europe, works like this Bacchanal with Silenus were crucial in disseminating the distinctive style of the Northern Italian Renaissance throughout the continent. This specific impression, a significant example of early Italian prints now widely available to researchers, forms part of the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.