Satyr and Nymph

1623

A laughing satyr, symbol of sensuality, leans towards a nymph, gently stroking her face. Her playful response to his gesture is nothing short of bold for a 17th-century Dutch painting. Gerard van Honthorst zoomed in on the figures from below suggesting that the picture was intended to be a mantelpiece. His light-hearted early depiction was widely imitated in his native Utrecht.