CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN MARBLE SILENUS
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D.
21 ¼ in. (54 cm.) high

Provenance

Swiss private collection, acquired prior to 1966.

Special notice

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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 very similar ageing satyr with fleshy pectorals and abdomen pouring wine from a skin balanced on his thigh cf. D. Boschung and H. von Hesberg, Die antiken Skulpturen in Newby Hall, sowie in anderen Sammlungen in Yorkshire, Wiesbaden, 2007 , pp. 54-56, pls 24-25, no. 16.

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