Circle of René Boyvin

Made by an unknown engraver, this is one of several copies after a design by the Italian painter Luca Penni, a Florentine artist who trained with Raphael in Rome and then went to France to assist in the decoration of the Château at Fontainebleau, the country estate of King Francois I. The engraver’s style indicates that he was a close follower of René Boyvin, Paris’s leading engraver in the mid-16th century. While dependent upon the general principles of Marcantonio’s tonal system, the Parisian style is characterized by a shinier surface (achieved by crossing lines at slight angles to create moiré effects), delicate contours, and the hint of swelled lines.

Silenus was the companion and tutor to the Greek god of wine, Dionysus. Most often shown intoxicated, bald, overweight, and supported by satyrs, as we see here, Silenus was also thought to possess special prophesying powers that could only be accessed while he was intoxicated. Images of Silenus were plentiful in the Renaissance, adorning banquet halls and private rooms and serving as a source of amusement.