The Wine Press (c. 1517–20): Art, History and Details

The Wine Press (c. 1517–20) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Marcantonio Raimondi (Italian, 1470/82–1527/34); Raphael (Italian, 1483–1520).

The work and its context

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

Here, Silenus sits thoughtfully on a throne, wine cup in hand, accompanied by harvesters who carry and transfer grapes. The composition was invented by renowned painter Raphael, with whom engraver Marcantonio Raimondi had a long-standing collaborative relationship. The powerful poses of Silenus, the crouching man, and the statuesque woman can be traced to relief-carved Roman sarcophagi (stone coffins) probably known to Raphael. The print may record part of a now-lost painted bacchanalia image made by Raphael for the Duke of Ferrara’s palace in Italy. Bacchic subject matter showed the duke to be a cultured man who also gave a good party.

Object facts

• Title: The Wine Press
• Date: c. 1517–20
• Creator attribution: Marcantonio Raimondi (Italian, 1470/82–1527/34); Raphael (Italian, 1483–1520)
• Culture: Italy
• Type: Print
• Technique: engraving
• Dimensions: Sheet: 18.6 x 14.7 cm (7 5/16 x 5 13/16 in.)
• Collection: PR - Engraving
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1922.479

A detail from the museum

Silenus, Bacchus's tutor, portrayed here watching the grape harvest with his wine cup, was known for his ability to drink wine straight from the barrel without mixing it with water (which was how mere mortals enjoyed the drink).

Collection credit

Gift of Leonard C. Hanna Jr.

Further reading listed by the museum

• "Exhibitions Through February 2026: In Vino Veritas (In Wine, Truth).” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 65, no. 4 (2025): 10.

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.