Midas and Bacchus Engraving 1619 from Ovid’s Metamorphoses

Description

Midas and Bacchus engraving printed in 1619 from an edition of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Captioned “Midas Bacchus” beneath the image, this antique print presents a detailed mythological encounter within a wooded landscape.

King Midas stands on the left wearing a crown and a long decorated robe. He extends one hand towards Bacchus while holding the other close to his chest. Several attendants stand behind him, including an armoured figure carrying a large ornamental shield. Their closely grouped figures balance the procession on the opposite side of the composition.

On the right, Bacchus wears a leafy crown and sits on a donkey with its head lowered. His companions carry long staffs or poles. The contrasting costumes, expressive gestures and carefully engraved details give the scene a theatrical character.

Between the two groups, the landscape recedes towards trees and a stretch of water. A small crowned figure kneels beside the water in the middle distance. Fine parallel lines and cross-hatching describe the sky, clothing, vegetation and animal, creating a wide range of tones within the black printed image.

The reverse carries French text in early spelling relating to the death of Orpheus. It describes his head and lyre reaching Lesbos and his reunion with Eurydice in the underworld. This is a separate passage from the book rather than a direct explanation of the Midas scene on the front.

The sheet measures 15.7 × 13.3 cm, with an engraved image measuring 13.6 × 11.3 cm. The print is offered unframed.

Condition: age toning with scattered small spots and foxing. The sheet has slightly uneven edges and small edge nicks, particularly along the bottom. Some reverse text shows through the paper. The text on the back is cropped at the sheet edges. Please examine the photographs for the condition of the individual sheet.

This Midas and Bacchus engraving brings together classical mythology, early book illustration and the visual detail of a seventeenth-century print.