Silenus (1628): Art, History and Details

Silenus (1628) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Jusepe de Ribera (Spanish, 1591–1652).

The work and its context

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

Before a large wine barrel, Silenus (Bacchus’s teacher) lies inebriated on the ground as he raises his cup to receive wine from a satyr in this print. Jusepe de Ribera included these and other details indicating that the scene was intended to be humorous. Two infants mimic Silenus, and a braying donkey adds to the chaotic setting. Pan, patron of shepherds, with his pipe and staff at his feet, crowns Silenus with grapevines. A satyr and a maenad, at upper left, contribute music as well as sexual innuendo (implied by the placement of the satyr’s flute). Ribera drew inspiration from Andrea Mantegna’s bacchanalia image but he introduced more texture and sensuality to the subject matter through his rich etching technique.

Object facts

• Title: Silenus
• Date: 1628
• Creator attribution: Jusepe de Ribera (Spanish, 1591–1652)
• Culture: Spain
• Type: Print
• Technique: etching
• Dimensions: Sheet: 27 x 35 cm (10 5/8 x 13 3/4 in.)
• Collection: PR - Etching
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1966.123

A detail from the museum

Corpulent bodies were often used in early modern art to symbolize laziness, overindulgence, and moral corruption.

Collection credit

Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Peters, Emily J. “In Vino Veritas: Wine's Truths and Consequences on Display.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 65, no. 3 (2025): 10-11.

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.