Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2015.

Bacchanal

Artist Eugene Francis Savage (American, 1883 - 1978)

CultureAmerican

Date1920

MediumOil, tempera, and gilding on panel

DimensionsOverall: 34 1/2 x 26 1/2 in. (87.6 x 67.3 cm)
Overall, Frame: 47 x 33 1/4 in. (119.4 x 84.5 cm)

InscribedSigned left edge 10" up. Label on back reads: "For Painters and sculptors Gallery Association, 15 Vanderbilt Ave. Subject Bacchanal, Painter Eugene Francis Savage, Ossining, NY, Price $3000.00"

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number71.2806

On View

Not on view

DescriptionOil or tempera on wood, in a heavy wooden frame with a pointed top. Four revelers engage in a mixture of fighting and flirtation in this allegorical. The flowers and leaves provide clues to their identities: these are the four seasons.

Label TextEugene Francis Savage American, 1883–1978 Bacchanal, 1920 Oil, tempera, and gilding on panel Four revelers engage in a mixture of fighting and flirtation in this allegorical painting by Eugene Savage. The flowers and leaves provide clues to their identities: these are the four seasons, acting out their annual cycle of change. This theme and the compressed perspective reveal the artist’s admiration for early Renaissance traditions of mural painting. Art Deco architecture and design often included similar classical references, expressing confidence that America in the 1920s was entering a new golden age of prosperity and progress. Here the use of gold leaf and the elaborate tabernacle frame (likely designed by Savage’s wife, Mathilda) add further elegance and historical character to the picture. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.2806