Man met saterkop op gesp 1756 - 1774

"Man met saterkop op gesp" is an etching by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, made sometime between 1727 and 1804. Tiepolo was born into a society steeped in tradition and hierarchy, but the winds of change, the enlightenment and revolution, were beginning to blow. This image isn't just a portrait; it's a study in character and perhaps a subtle commentary on the social norms of his time. The man’s elaborate hat and the satyr head on his clasp point to a certain level of status or perhaps an attempt at bravado. Satyrs were, after all, creatures of indulgence and excess. But look closer: there is something unsettling in the man's gaze, a hint of melancholy or world-weariness. It’s as though Tiepolo is asking us to see beyond the surface, to question what we know of identity and representation, and perhaps even to challenge the established order. There is a tension here between outward appearance and inner life. Tiepolo invites us to consider the complexities of human experience.