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Giorgio Ghisi

Satyr Trying to Wake Silenus with a Grapevine

c. 1540
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
20.2 × 31 cm (8 × 12.2 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

The dangers of overindulging become comically clear in Giorgio Ghisi’s lively engraving. Silenus—Bacchus’s lustful, frequently inebriated companion—appears in a wine-induced stupor, empty pitcher in hand. The attendant teasingly trying to wake Silenus with a bunch of grapes (instead of more wine) may be a reference to the hangover relief now known as the hair of the dog, or in this case, the hair of the goat. Ghisi made this print in a shallow bas-relief style after a drawing by Giulio Romano, adding the grape arbor and background shadows.

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