Description
Satyr Family by Albrecht Dürer shows a satyr standing beneath trees while a woman reclines with a child close to her, bringing a mythological family into an intimate woodland setting. The relaxed bodies contrast with the rough trunk and dense foliage, giving Satyr Family a mixture of natural ease and strangeness. The infant’s closeness makes the scene feel domestic despite the extraordinary character of one parent.
Dated 1505, the engraving describes skin, hair and bark through a finely varied network of marks. The surrounding darkness shelters the figures rather than turning the forest into a vast panorama. Its interest lies in the combination of familiar human relationships and a subject drawn from mythology. Tenderness and physical presence give the group an unexpected immediacy, allowing the unusual family to inhabit its wooded retreat with convincing warmth.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Dürer collection.
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