Bacchus en Pan

Bacchus is depicted in a heroic, muscular pose within an oval frame, lifting a shallow patera as a gesture of offering or celebration. A young satyr figures behind him, greedily clutching a bunch of grapes, while the surrounding decorative corners feature satyr masks and various styles of contemporary 16th-century drinking glasses. The engraving utilizes complex hatching and swelling lines to create a sense of three-dimensional volume and texture.

In the Neoplatonic tradition championed by Marsilio Ficino, Bacchus (Dionysus) represents 'divine madness' (furor divinus), a state of ecstatic inspiration that allows the soul to transcend the material world. This work reflects the Haarlem Mannerist interest in the classical mysteries and the personification of natural forces through mythological figures.