This image depicts a pastoral scene with mythological elements. It shows a group of reclining figures in the foreground, surrounded by a dense landscape with foliage and architectural elements like a barrel and a stone structure. A statue of a draped, vine-covered figure stands to the left. Detailed cross-hatching and line work create depth and texture. The landscape includes a sky with swirling clouds, and the arrangement of figures suggests a narrative or allegorical theme, possibly related to Bacchus or a similar mythological subject.
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This image depicts a pastoral scene with mythological elements. It shows a group of reclining figures in the foreground, surrounded by a dense landscape with foliage and architectural elements like a barrel and a stone structure. A statue of a draped, vine-covered figure stands to the left. Detailed cross-hatching and line work create depth and texture. The landscape includes a sky with swirling clouds, and the arrangement of figures suggests a narrative or allegorical theme, possibly related to Bacchus or a similar mythological subject.

National Gallery of Art · Print

Bacchanal

Giovanni David

Date
1775
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 30.2 × 20.6 cm (11 7/8 × 8 1/8 in.) (cut to platemark)
Classification
Print
Accession number
2013.106.1
Credit line
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Time span
1751 to 1775
Department
CG-E

Subjects and terms

  • etching
  • classical
  • mythology
Provenance

Justinus Kerner, Budapest (similar to Lugt 1567b). (sale, Galerie Bassenge, Berlin, 30 May 2013, no. 5336); (via David Tunick, Inc., New York); purchased by NGA, 2013.

Inscription

lower left in plate: David Gen. Inv. fecit; lower center in plate: ... vino pellite curas Hor. Lib. I Od. 7; by later hand, upper center verso in graphite:Giovanni David (1743 - 1790); by later hand, lower center verso under collector's mark: Lugt 1567b; by later hand, lower right verso in graphite: P

Watermarks

Crowned Strassburg lily with ICV

NGA object ID 163320. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.