Artwork

A Savage mounted on a winged Serpent battling with a wild beast resembling a Porcupine

A Savage mounted on a winged Serpent battling with a wild beast resembling a Porcupine is a print by the Romanticist artist Filippo Morghen. It dates from 1769 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Morghen imagined moon creatures with strange tools and animals, reflecting the era’s fascination with fantasy and science.

A man rides a winged serpent, fighting a beast that looks like a giant porcupine. The scene is wild and imaginary, full of sharp claws and fierce motion.

This image is one of ten etchings by Filippo Morghen, made around 1769. It shows a made-up world on the moon, where people ride birds and use huge pumpkins as boats. The drawing uses fine lines to show texture and depth, common in 18th-century printmaking. Morghen imagined moon creatures with strange tools and animals, reflecting the era’s fascination with fantasy and science.

Look up The Cleveland Museum of Art to explore more prints from this series. (98 words)

Overview

This etching by Filippo Morghen, circa 1769, is part of a series of 10 prints depicting an imagined lunar world. The scene features a savage riding a winged serpent in combat with a porcupine-like beast, showcasing the fantastical nature of the series.

Subject & Meaning

The print reflects 18th-century European fascination with fantasy and science through its imaginary lunar inhabitants and their unusual modes of transport and tools, blending elements of chinoiserie, turquerie, and misinterpreted non-European cultures.

Technique & Style

Morghen employed fine lines to achieve texture and depth, characteristic of 18th-century printmaking techniques, emphasizing sharp details and dynamic motion in the scene.

History & Provenance

Created around 1769, this etching is one of Morghen's set of 10, with the full series including a title page and nine plates exploring the imagined lunar society and its eccentricities.

Context

Part of a broader 18th-century European trend of visual and literary narratives about imaginary voyages, this work taps into the period's intrigue with both the exotic and the scientific, despite its inaccuracies.