Getty Museum

A Satyr Playing an Aulos

Date

about 1480–1490

Medium

Pen and brown ink

Culture

Italian

Department

Drawings

Institution

Getty Museum

Playing a double flute called an aulos, the long-legged figure of a satyr seems to dance on the balls of his feet. Probably intended as a figure in the retinue of the classical god Bacchus, the satyr is naked except for the skin of a panther, with its claws and tail still attached, that hangs over his left shoulder. The figure's proportions and pose resemble those of classical reliefs or vase paintings. Deftly handling the point of the quill, the artist indicated both light and shade, suggesting the three-dimensionality of his body with a delicate network of hatching and cross-hatching. Numerous fine lines suggest the muscles on his legs and torso and create texture on the panther pelt.

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