CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN MARBLE SILENUS
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D.
22 in. (56 cm.) high

Provenance

Swiss private collection, acquired prior to 1991.

Special notice

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Sale room notice

Please note that the provenance for this lot should read: Swiss private collection, acquired prior to 1966

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Chanel Clarke

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Lot Essay

The Roman love of decorative sculpture with Bacchic themes, often with humorous overtones, is well documented from Pompeii and elsewhere. As here, where Silenus pours wine from a wineskin, the mature satyr was usually shown engaging in Dionysiac activities, including making music and holding the infant Bacchus (cf. nos. 214-215 in E. Simon, 'Silenoi', LIMC VIII, Zurich and DÜsseldorf, 1997). For a younger satyr pouring from a wineskin, which he carries on his shoulders, see no. 191 in B. Conticello et al., Rediscovering Pompeii, Rome, 1990.

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