A ROMAN MARBLE MALE TORSO
These lots have been imported from outside the EU … Read more
A ROMAN MARBLE SILENUS

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
These lots have been imported from outside the EU for sale using a Temporary Import regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the Hammer price. VAT is also payable (at 20%) on the buyer’s Premium on a VAT inclusive basis. When a buyer of such a lot has registered an EU address but wishes to export the lot or complete the import into another EU country, he must advise Christie's immediately after the auction.

Brought to you by

Laetitia Delaloye
Laetitia Delaloye

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.

More from Antiquities

View All
View All