In an intimate family scene, a satyr lulls his newborn child to sleep with trumpet music. Satyrs, part-human and part-goat, were popular figures during the Renaissance, as they harkened back to the classical hybrid monsters of ancient Greek and Roman art. They were companions to Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, and thus creatures who loved the physical pleasures of wine, women, and wind instruments. Satyrs usually act as an oppositional force to the conventional norms of decorum in civilization. In this engraving, the satyr demonstrates his skill at playing instruments, a refined talent, but its form crudely mimics the shape of his erect phallus, emphasizing his animalistic side. Yet Albrecht Dürer also reaffirms the satyr's humanity through the tenderness of this family scene. The idea of a Satyr playing music to his family does not follow any known literary sources. It is an original conception by the artist, undoubtedly created for a sophisticated and scholarly audience.
Netherlands
Netherlands
Netherlands
Germany
Netherlands
Netherlands
Netherlands
Germany
Germany
Netherlands
Netherlands
Germany