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SAVOYV2_icon9_caresme_bacchantes

The halftone image of a water-colour drawing is in landscape orientation. The image shows a group of naked figures sitting and lying atop one another in a nature scene. In the background of the image is a tree trunk leaning over to the left with vines and grapes hanging down from it. The mid-ground is where the figures are situated. There is a man slightly deeper into the background than the others on the far left side of the page. Only the front half of his head and his right arm are visible: the back of his head is cut off by the frame and his body is covered by a woman sitting on top of him as he lies back. The woman is sitting atop the man’s torso. Her body is turned towards the left side of the page while her head is turned to the right, looking on at the other figures. She is naked and holding a piece of drapery.. Her left hand is resting on the man’s chest. She has her curly hair pulled up in a bun. Foregrounded and slightly to the right of those two figures is a man with horns [Dionysus or Bacchus]. He is kneeling on his right leg and leaning forward and towards the right side of the picture plane. He has his arms wrapped around the woman’s to his right. He has a belt made of a leaf garland and a piece of drapery covers his groin. A sack is also resting on its side in front of him. There are horns sprouting from the crown of his head. Leaves and flowers also surround his crown. He has his chin resting on the top of the woman’s head.. She is lying on her back with her arms spread out to either side of her. The horned man’s right arm falls on top of her right arm. His left hand is wrapped around her left arm. Her body is facing towards the right side of the page. She has a piece of material draped over top of her left thigh by a woman to her right. Her legs are bent slightly at the knee and lifted up. She seems to be resting on a pile of material and other sacks. One of the vines from the tree in the background is leaning down over top of her and she holds onto it with her left hand. The man to her right is sitting a little higher up on top of a bench. He is turned towards the left side of the page although his face is turned slightly to the right with his chin and gaze aimed down. He has both arms extended straight out in front and is holding the piece of material that drapes down on the central woman’s left thigh. The central woman also has her bent legs over top of him and so only his upper body is visible. He has horns as well, and a garland of flowers and leaves wrap around his crown. To the right of him is another woman. She is sitting on the bench as well. Her body is facing the viewer, but turned slightly towards the left side of the page. Her arms are extended above her head and to the left of the page because she is holding the man to her left’s right arm with her right hand, and fixing something in his hair with her left hand. She has a piece of material draped around her right shoulder and falling down across her lap and then around her back. Her legs are split open and bent at the knees, to help balance her while she reaches over. There is a sort of urn or wine holder between her knees and it rests sideways on the ground. The bench is covered by material and has a small inscription over top with the text: “Mh Caresme” and directly below that text is the text: “1781”. To the right of the woman and the bench the forest gets darker and deeper. There is also a figure in the background on the right edge of the picture plane, likely a statue. The figure has a large head and block body. The figure is turned to face the group of people to the left. The face has an open mouth with upturned lips and bushy curls of hair. Behind this figure is more forest, and in front is more foliage. The sky in the left background is much lighter than that on the right half of the page.