Decorative Couch Attachment with a Silenos
Artist
Unknown
Datebetween circa 50 BCE and 100 CE
MediumCopper alloy (bronze)
DimensionsH. 4 ¼ x W. 3 ¼ x D. 1 ¾ in. (11 x 8.1 x 4.5 cm)
Weight: 7 1/2 lbs. (338.2 g)
Weight: 7 1/2 lbs. (338.2 g)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LinePurchased with funds from various donors, by exchange
Object number85.10
On View
On viewBronze furniture attachments embellished the elaborate couches used by reclining diners and revelers on festive occasions. Busts such as this one usually decorated the lower part of the sloping headrests.
Dionysiac imagery was appropriate to occasions of merry-making. Silenus, the figure represented here, was the tutor of Dionysos, the god of wine. He and his followers, called Sileni, are similar in appearance to other followers of Dionysos, the satyrs. Both creatures have broad flat noses, fleshy mouths, and pointed equine ears. This Silenus wears an animal skin fastened at the right shoulder and a wreath of leaves and berries.
ProvenanceProvenience unknown. [Robert Miller Gallery, New York]; sold to NCMA, 1985.Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–present. Object Rights Statement
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