Louis Schaettle, born Chicago, IL - (Bacchanale Revel, Pan and Procession) - ca. 1916 - T-Shirt

A long horizontal frieze of dancing revellers gathers around Pan, who pipes at the centre of a flower-strewn meadow.

Visual Elements & Composition

The composition runs wide, framed top and bottom by patterned ornamental bands that hold the scene together like a painted border. Sage green fills roughly a third of the picture, with soft pink blossoms, ochre gold, red-orange and pale blue carrying the rest. At the centre, a wreathed piper in a red mantle plays panpipes, its cloth billowing behind him. Figures crowd left and right: a lyre player mid-stride in a striped cloak, dancers raising arms and carrying bunches of flowers, a child in blue leaning toward a donkey and cart, and a robed figure holding trailing greenery. The brushwork is soft and watercolour-like, giving the whole scene a light, open feel.

Meaning & Symbolism

The subject is a bacchanal, a revel in the manner of the Dionysian festivals of classical antiquity, with Pan at its heart. Pan, god of wild pastures and pipe music, presides over music, dance and garland-making, expressing joy in nature and in communal celebration. The work was painted by Louis Schaettle, born in Chicago, and dates to about 1916. It belongs to the American decorative tradition of the early twentieth century, when classical subjects were adapted for domestic and public interiors.

Carrying the Revel onto Your Chest

A frieze is designed to wrap around a room, so the celebration surrounds whoever stands inside it. On this tee, the scene is seen all at once across the chest, with Pan and his piping sitting at the centre of your view as you move. The garlands, dancers and meadow spread outward to the sleeves and hem, so the festive mood travels with the wearer rather than staying fixed on one wall.