Bacchanale (Satyrs’ Games) first plate: Relief with a nymph and two satyrs

Fragonard is one of the most important artists of the French Rococo. He is best known for his paintings of fêtes galantes, courtship scenes characterized by their cheerful joie de vivre. His four pictures of the Bacchanale are without doubt some of the most exquisite etchings produced in the 18th century. The artist probably created them by working from sketches of the ancient reliefs at Herculaneum, which he had previously drawn during a visit to Italy. However, the work also relies in no small part upon imaginative invention and fantasy. Nature in all its abundance provides the setting for playful scenes of satyrs and nymphs, depicted in reliefs that recall the art of antiquity. Certainly, the ancient motifs that featured on artefacts uncovered by archaeological excavations served as a source of inspiration for the artist’s creative flights of fancy. A particularly remarkable aspect of the work its masterly lightness of touch, suggestive of the artist wielding his etching needle as though it were a crayon.