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Virgil Solis

Design for a Ewer

1530–62
etching and engraving

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In the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · as of July 2026

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FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG

The decoration and function of this ewer, or jug, relates to wine. The satyr on the front of the vessel, satyr heads at the handle and mouth, and birds and crayfish on the side are mythological or natural creatures associated with Bacchus and his revelries. The shape is derived from a Greek wine jug called an oinochoe. Made by Virgil Solis, who ran a busy printmaking workshop in Nuremberg, Germany, the print was a model for artists working in other media, such as silver.

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