Der Triumph des Silen

The Triumph of Silenus

In Greek mythology Silenus is a satyr who accompanies Bacchus, the god of wine. He is the paunchy elderly figure who sprawls on the left. In the background an ass is being stopped from mounting a female centaur (half-woman, half-horse). This scene shows one of the compositions that Nicolas Poussin provided for Cardinal de Richelieu around 1636.