Nymph Astride a Satyr

Jean-Honoré Fragonard made these images of love-smitten nymphs and satyrs a couple of years after returning from a six-year sojourn in Italy. He based them on drawings that he had made of relief sculptures in the collection of the Villa Mattei in Rome. The villa was also known for its lush gardens, echoes of which underscore the fecundity of the satyr family.