Corsica seated before satyrs on the bank of a river, from a pair of plates for Battista Guarini's 'Il Pastor fido'

Art Historical Context

In this delicate etching from 1640, Dutch artist Bartholomeus Bbergh captures a whimsical pastoral scene: Corsica seated gracefully before a group of playful satyrs along a riverbank. Created as one of a pair of plates illustrating Battista Guarini's popular 16th-century pastoral drama *Il Pastor fido*The Faithful Shepherd), the work evokes the idyllic, mythological world of Arcadian shepherds, nymphs, and mythical creatures that captivated 17th-century audiences across Europe. Breenbergh who spent nearly a decade in Rome during the 1620s, infused his prints with the luminous Italianate landscapes he admired, blending classical antiquity with Dutch precision. His etching technique—using acid to bite intricate lines into a copper plate—allowed for richly detailed, reproducible images that brought literary scenes to life for collectors and readers. At just 3 7/16 x 4 3/4 inches, this intimate sheet exemplifies the era's fascination with small-scale prints as accessible art. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011), the piece highlights the cultural bridge between Renaissance literature and Baroque visual arts, offering visitors a window into 17th-century dreams of rustic harmony amid satyrs' mischievous gaze.

About the Artist

Bartholomeus Breenbergh · 1598–1657

Probably was apprenticed in Amsterdam. He was one of the early Dutch italianates, that is, northern artists who travelled to Italy in the 1620s and were inspired by southern landscapes. On his return, he settled in Amsterdam and his landscapes were developed as more severe and monumental, often with historical subjects; strongly influenced by the Pre-Rembrandtists. Comment on works: Landscapes; Ru...