A heavyset, bearded man stands at the center, his body supported by two satyrs as he staggers forward, his head drooping and eyes half-closed in a drunken stupor. He is crowned with grapevines and holds a bunch of grapes in one hand, while a garland of leaves and fruit covers his loins. To his left, a satyr with pointed ears and a wild expression grins broadly, his hand gripping the older man's arm to steady him.

At the feet of the central figure, three putti play among an abundance of grapes and gourds, one standing and reaching upward, another seated and munching on fruit, and a third peeking out from behind the others. On the right, a nude woman with flowing hair raises a tambourine high above her head, her body twisting in a lively dance, while a child clings to her leg. Behind her, a smiling man with a wreath of vine leaves gazes at her, and another woman, clothed and with her hair pinned up, looks on with a gentle expression.

A dark-skinned man stands just behind the central group, his face turned toward the tambourine, contributing to the sense of festivity and movement. The figures are crowded together in a shallow space, their bodies overlapping and intertwined, creating a sense of exuberant chaos. Light falls from the upper left, illuminating the pale flesh of the central figures and the woman on the right, while shadows deepen around the edges and behind the group.

The brushwork is energetic and fluid, with visible strokes modeling the flesh and hair, and softer transitions in the background. Details such as the curling hair, the texture of grape leaves, and the folds of skin and muscle are rendered with lively precision. The composition is anchored by the diagonal formed by the tambourine and the outstretched arms, guiding the movement from left to right across the canvas. Painted by Peter Paul Rubens in 1619, Drunken Silenus belongs to a period between 1618 and 1620, as dated by the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.