Bacchanaal van Amors 1772 - 1817

Francois Philippe Charpentier made this drawing, 'Bacchanaal van Amors', using pen in brown ink and brush in brown wash, sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. In it, we see cupids frolicking, evoking the classical world of myth and revelry. During the late eighteenth century, images of this kind, often found in the private collections of the French elite, reflect a fascination with antiquity, but they also speak to a culture of leisure and pleasure enjoyed by the aristocracy before the French Revolution. Such works can be interpreted as a commentary on the existing social structures of the time. The references to classical bacchanals, celebrations associated with fertility, freedom, and the god of wine, Bacchus, highlight the decadence of the French court. This piece can be more fully understood by looking at the historical and cultural context in France at the time. This was a period marked by the increasing social and economic inequality that ultimately led to revolution.