Scholing van saters 1705 - 1771

Balthasar Sigmund Setletzky created this etching, titled "Scholing van Saters," sometime before 1771. The scene depicts a group of satyrs—creatures from classical mythology, part human and part goat—engaged in various forms of education. In antiquity, the satyr was known as a symbol of untamed nature, revelry, and the instincts residing within the id. We see the satyrs learning to write, engaging in philosophical debate, and presenting dramatic works. In many ways, they are mimicking the rituals and settings of a school of philosophers or artists in Ancient Greece. The figure of the satyr can be seen, too, in Renaissance paintings, or even further forward in Picasso's depictions of the Minotaur, symbolizing the dual nature of humanity, torn between reason and primal instinct. Setletzky's image captures this tension, the id being molded by social structures, thus revealing the ongoing tension between our primal selves and the structures of civilization.