Satyrs Preparing for a Festival
n.d.
Medium
Pen, brown and black ink, over black chalk with pink wash; framing lines in pen and brown ink
Dimensions
6 1/4 x 8 1/2 in. (15.8 x 21.6 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1961
Accession Number
61.127.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Claude Gillot’s *Satyrs Preparing for a Festival* captures a lively moment from classical mythology in a compact, expressive drawing. The scene shows satyrs—half-human, half-goat followers of the god Bacchus—gathering amid trees, their animated poses suggesting anticipation and playful activity. Though undated, the work reflects Gillot’s interest in theatrical and mythological subjects that would help shape the emerging Rococo style in early eighteenth-century France. Executed in pen and ink over black chalk with delicate pink wash, the drawing demonstrates Gillot’s skill at creating depth an...
About the Artist
Claude Gillot · 1673–1722
Artist known for his elegant designs done in the Rococo manner of Audran; also for his predilection for scenes from the 'comedia dell'arte.' Few paintings survive; his work is known mainly through drawings and etchings. Comment on works: Genre; History