Between 1783 and 1810, Moitte achieved fame as a monumental sculptor and a prolific draftsman. During his brief tenure at the French Academy at Rome, Moitte became obsessed with ancient, Graeco-Roman art, which he emulated throughout his career. Moitte was also a highly influential designer of prints, ornaments, furniture and gold smithing--all inspired formally and thematically by antiquity.
The present drawing depicts a festival of Pan-the half-man, half-goat, god of shepherds, flocks and fertility. A faun and maenads usher shy maidens toward an image of Pan to perform a fertility rite as the idol is crowned with ivy leaves. A tottering old satyr, supported by a child, sounds reed pipes, and a maenad clangs cymbals as revelers pour wine, carouse and embrace.
Inspired by ancient Roman bas-reliefs, Moitte's celebrants are disposed in a frieze boldly highlighted against a dark background painted with a brush and black Chinese ink. The black ground was derived from Etruscan vases and Pompeian wall painting.
cxd
<P>Between 1783 and 1810, Moitte achieved fame as a monumental sculptor and a prolific draftsman. During his brief tenure at the French Academy at Rome, Moitte became obsessed with ancient, Graeco-Roman art, which he emulated throughout his career. Moitte was also a highly influential designer of prints, ornaments, furniture and gold smithing--all inspired formally and thematically by antiquity.</P><P>The present drawing depicts a festival of Pan-the half-man, half-goat, god of shepherds, flocks and fertility. A faun and maenads usher shy maidens toward an image of Pan to perform a fertility rite as the idol is crowned with ivy leaves. A tottering old satyr, supported by a child, sounds reed pipes, and a maenad clangs cymbals as revelers pour wine, carouse and embrace.</P><P>Inspired by ancient Roman bas-reliefs, Moitte's celebrants are disposed in a frieze boldly highlighted against a dark background painted with a brush and black Chinese ink. The black ground was derived from Etruscan vases and Pompeian wall painting.</P>
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