Dansende bacchanten 1652 - 1707

This is Franz Ertinger’s etching, “Dancing Bacchantes.” It captures the uninhibited revelry associated with the followers of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, fertility, and theatre. See how the figures join hands and dance in a circle, a motif echoing the ancient Greek chorus, representing collective emotion and communal ecstasy. This circular dance, seen in various forms throughout history from folk rituals to Renaissance festivals, embodies a primal urge to unite and transcend individual consciousness. The gestures of ecstasy can be traced back to ancient fertility rites, echoing in the works of Titian and Rubens. The image presents a window into the cyclical nature of human expression, where ancient rituals resurface, transformed yet still echoing our deepest desires and fears. Here, the bacchantes embody a powerful expression of primal energy, connecting us to the collective unconscious.