Satyr Mask with Curled Horns, Leafy Eyebrows and a Cloth Hanging Beneath the Chin, from Divers Masques 1630 - 1650

François Chauveau made this tiny engraving of a satyr’s mask, one of a series titled ‘Divers Masques,’ sometime in the mid-17th century. Masks played an important role in the elaborate court entertainments and festivals of the period. Chauveau’s France was a highly stratified society, and the court of Louis XIV used spectacle to reinforce its power and prestige. The satyr, a mythical creature associated with revelry and disorder, was a popular figure in these displays, often deployed as a safe and sanctioned way to hint at social disruption. Through this engraving, Chauveau participates in the institutional structures of his time by providing imagery for the aristocracy, a practice that bolstered the social hierarchies of the era. To fully understand this print, one can explore period accounts of court festivities, costume designs, and engravings like this one, which give insight into the visual culture of the time. The image provides a glimpse into the complex interplay between artistic creation, social control, and the imagination in 17th-century France.