Apollo and Silenus 

Giovanni Battista Piranesi made this etching titled 'Apollo and Silenus' in Rome during the eighteenth century. The image depicts a scene from Greek mythology, Apollo playing his pipes while Silenus, a companion of Dionysus, sits beside him. Piranesi's Rome was a city deeply engaged with its classical past, and archaeological discoveries frequently inspired artists and intellectuals. Piranesi was an important antiquarian, and his art often reflects his knowledge of and engagement with ancient Roman culture. Here, we see the artist drawing from classical sources to create an image that speaks to contemporary aesthetic and intellectual interests. To understand this print more fully, scholars consult a range of resources, from ancient texts to contemporary accounts of artistic life in Rome. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context, and only through careful research can we begin to appreciate its complexities.