Currently not on view
Statuette of a Silenos,
ca. 31 BCE–14 CE
Roman
Augustan
y180
Due to the corpulent fleshiness of this nude male figure and the ivy-tied wineskin in his left hand, scholars have identified him as a Silenos, a companion of the wine-god, Dionysos. Adopting a relaxed contrapposto stance, with a swagger in his hip, the figure may have originally had a long beard and held a wine cup in his missing right hand. Sculptures of mythological figures associated with fertility, revelry, and agricultural pursuits, like the grape harvest for wine production, were widely popular as decorations in ancient Roman gardens.
Information
Title
Statuette of a Silenos
Dates
ca. 31 BCE–14 CE
Medium
Fine-grained marble, possibly Greek marble
Dimensions
28.9 x 21.5 x 13.5 cm (11 3/8 x 8 7/16 x 5 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Junius S. Morgan, Class of 1888
Object Number
y180
Period
Materials
Subject
Given to the Museum by Junius S. Morgan
- The Greco-Roman world as seen in their crafts: [exhibition, Saint Peter's College Art Gallery April 3 to May 1], (Jersey City, NJ: Saint Peter's College Art Gallery, 1974)., cat. no. 37
- J. Michael Padgett, ed., Roman sculpture in The Art Museum, Princeton University, (Princeton, NJ: Art Museum, Princeton University, 2001)., cat. no. 109
