Das Gastmahl des Trimalchio: pl. XI (The Banquet of Trimalchio: pl. XI)

Corinth employed drypoint, scratching directly into a metal plate with a sharp needle to create dense, textured lines. The resulting print features bold, irregular strokes that convey movement and urgency, contrasting with the precision of traditional etching. The inked lines retain a raw, tactile quality, evoking the expressive energy of Rembrandt’s prints while reflecting Corinth’s post-stroke emphasis on spontaneity and emotional intensity over refinement.

Produced in 1919, this print emerged during Corinth’s final creative period, after his move from Berlin to the countryside following his illness. The *Trimalchio* series was among his last major print projects. The National Gallery of Art in Washington holds an impression, acquired as part of its broader collection of modern European prints, preserving Corinth’s engagement with classical texts through modernist graphic techniques.

Corinth’s choice of Trimalchio’s banquet reflects a broader postwar European fascination with classical satire as a lens for critiquing contemporary society. In the aftermath of World War I, the decadence and instability of ancient Rome resonated with the social upheaval of Weimar Germany. His reinterpretation of Petronius’s text served not as historical reconstruction but as a psychological and moral commentary on excess and human folly.

The *Trimalchio* series stands as a significant contribution to early 20th-century printmaking, bridging classical narrative with modernist expression. Corinth’s use of drypoint to convey psychological tension and social critique influenced later artists exploring the grotesque and the satirical. The series remains a key example of how historical subjects could be reimagined through deeply personal, emotionally charged visual language.