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The Triumph of Silenus

A work made of marble.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of marble.

Date:

c. 1660

Artist:

Gerard van Opstal
Flemish, c. 1597–1668

About this artwork

Born and trained in Antwerp at the height of Peter Paul Rubens’s influence, Gerard van Opstal settled in Paris, where he contributed to the decoration of important private residences and royal projects like the Louvre. Adapting Rubens’s heroic figures and penchant for mythological themes to a smaller scale for private collectors, he excelled at carving delicate, playful reliefs showing the followers of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, in marble and in ivory. Here, Silenus, the portly and permanently drunk companion of Bacchus, is the center of a noisy procession in which lively children imitate the behavior of their elders.

Status

On View, Gallery 208

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Gerard van Obstal

Title

The Triumph of Silenus

Place

France (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1655–1665

Medium

Marble

Dimensions

36.8 × 53.3 cm (14 1/2 × 21 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by Mrs. Eloise W. Martin and Mrs. Edward J. Uihlein through the Antiquarian Society, Mrs. DeWitt W. Buchanan, Jr., Kay and Frederick Krehbiel; Major Acquisitions Centennial, Jane B. Tripp and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Varley endowments; through prior acquisitions of the Kate S. Buckingham Endowment

Reference Number

1997.89

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/146877/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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