Bacchant, Satyr, and Fauness, from the Scherzi

Bacchant, Satyr, and Fauness, from the Scherzi is a distinctive etching created by the Venetian master Giovanni Battista Tiepolo between 1725 and 1780. This piece is part of his influential series of prints known as the Scherzi di fantasia (Caprices or Jokes of the Imagination), a collection that showcases the artist's inventive, often ambiguous approach to classical and allegorical themes. The use of etching allowed Tiepolo to achieve a highly spontaneous, sketch-like quality in the final image, characterized by rapid, flickering lines and subtle washes of tone that imbue the composition with a sense of airy improvisation, typical of his later graphic work.

The composition depicts a dynamic, intimate grouping of mythological figures drawn from the world of Bacchus. A muscular Satyr, identifiable by his subtle horns and slightly bestial features, interacts closely with a Fauness and a female Bacchant. These figures, representing unrestrained nature and classical revelry, engage in a complex interplay of gestures and gazes, set against Tiepolo’s signature backdrop of ruins and indeterminate space. The subject matter is characteristic of the Scherzi, which often featured exotic costume, magicians, philosophers, and deities rendered in moments of private contemplation or mysterious ritual, moving away from the large-scale religious commissions for which the artist was also known.

The Scherzi series, along with Tiepolo’s earlier Capricci, are considered central to the study of 18th-century Venetian graphic arts, demonstrating a growing artistic preference for private, imaginative subjects. This specific impression of Bacchant, Satyr, and Fauness, from the Scherzi is held in the extensive collection of prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As the work is now in the public domain due to its age, these masterful etchings by Tiepolo remain widely accessible, allowing broader scholarship and appreciation for his unique interpretation of classical fantasy.