A Satyr Family Traveling (c. 1657): Art, History and Details

A Satyr Family Traveling (c. 1657) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Stefano Della Bella (Italian, 1610–1664).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The idea of a satyr family captured the imagination of many artists. Stefano Della Bella’s portrayal features a father and mother who travel with their satyr son, maenad daughter, and a herd of goats while carrying a grape harvest. Della Bella deliberately evoked images of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph on their flight to Egypt. Whereas the Holy Family is sacred and chaste, the satyr family is rooted in bodily pleasures. Theirs is a union fueled by wine and revelry, embodying the reckless fertility of nature.

Object facts

• Title: A Satyr Family Traveling
• Date: c. 1657
• Creator attribution: Stefano Della Bella (Italian, 1610–1664)
• Culture: Italy
• Type: Print
• Technique: etching
• Dimensions: Sheet: 22.4 x 22.4 cm (8 13/16 x 8 13/16 in.)
• Collection: PR - Etching
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1963.171

A detail from the museum

The patriarch of this satyr family carries a pan flute on his hip. Named for Pan, shepherd god and friend of Bacchus in classical mythology, the pan flute was associated with pastoral settings.

Collection credit

Gift of George P. Bickford

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.