Bacchanal with Children and Chariot
c. 1860-70
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux captures a wild, chaotic scene of putti (cherubic children) in this energetic sketch, likely a study for a larger sculpture. Rather than the sweet, innocent angels often seen in Renaissance art, these little figures are brawling, pulling, and tumbling over each other in a drunken bacchanal. You can even spot a broken chariot wheel and scattered weapons on the ground, hinting at the aftermath of a mythological joyride. It perfectly showcases the French artist's obsession with dynamic, twisting movement and raw emotion, traits that made his public sculptures so controversial and famous in 19th-century Paris.
- Technique
- Pen and ink drawing
- Material
- Paper
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