The Drunken Silenus holding a cup aloft into which a Satyr pours wine

Art Historical Context

Jusepe de Ribera, known as Lo Spagnoletto, created this lively etching and engraving in 1628 while working in Naples. The Spanish-born artist, deeply influenced by Caravaggio’s dramatic realism, brought his signature intensity to printmaking. Here, the drunken Silenus—a companion of the god Bacchus—raises his cup as a satyr pours more wine, capturing a moment of mythological revelry with vivid energy. Ribera’s use of etching combined with engraving allowed him to achieve both bold lines and delicate shading, giving the scene a sculptural quality that was widely admired in the seventeenth century. Prints like this one helped spread his reputation across Europe, offering collectors an affordable way to enjoy his dynamic compositions drawn from classical mythology. The work reflects the Baroque fascination with sensual, earthly pleasures and the moral ambiguities of indulgence. Its presence in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection, gifted in 1966, continues to invite viewers to explore the rich interplay between ancient stories and seventeenth-century artistic innovation.