Ornament met een kop van een sater 1710 - 1772

Petrus Johannes van Reysschoot made this pen drawing of an ornament with the head of a satyr sometime in the 18th century. Ornament prints were very popular at this time, and were used by artists as examples of good taste and models for architecture, furniture or silverware. Van Reysschoot worked in the Austrian Netherlands, which was a conservative place, clinging to tradition. Satyrs were associated with a loss of control, and you see them often in Baroque art, which was popular here, as a warning against wild excess. They’re usually shown drinking, dancing or chasing nymphs. It is interesting to see the satyr's head as an ornament on its own. In a way, it tames the satyr, making its likeness into a decoration. Perhaps Van Reysschoot means to comment on the political situation, where the Austrian Empire was trying to exert its control. As historians, we need to look at all these influences to gain a better understanding of this image.