Geboorte van Bacchus 1616 - 1657

This small etching, "Geboorte van Bacchus" (Birth of Bacchus), by Pieter Serwouters depicts the Roman god Jupiter carrying the infant Bacchus, the god of wine, on a griffin as he flies through a swirling, cloudy sky. Jupiter’s wife, Juno, watches from above as Semele, Bacchus' mother, lies dead below, a victim of Jupiter’s trickery. The dramatic scene utilizes intricate lines and cross-hatching to illustrate the movement of the characters and the emotion of the moment. The etching is part of a series of plates illustrating classical mythology and is an example of the popularity of this genre of art in the 17th century.