A Roman marble Silenus

A Roman marble Silenus
Circa 1st-2nd Century A.D.
The follower of Bacchus depicted with a muscular hairy chest looking down and to his right, a fillet of ivy leaves and flowers in his flowing curly hair, with long thick beard, furrowed brows and deep set eyes, holding a wineskin slung over his left shoulder, 26cm high

Provenance:
London art market, early 1970s.
Brian Carter collection, until 1986.
London art market, December 2018.

Known as one of the teachers of Dionysus, Silenus helped the Nymphs of Mount Nysa raise the god when he was brought there as an infant. His name is derived from the words seiô, "to move to and fro," and lênos, "the wine-trough", and he is usually depicted drunk, or partaking in the revelries that come with being associated with the god of wine. Unlike the younger satyrs who follow Dionysus, Silenus is easy to spot among the troupe with his long beard and mature face. With Dionysus and the Bacchic mysteries being popular subjects for art in the Roman period, images of Silenus can be found in frescos, coins, furniture legs and even cameos in addition to marble statuary and fountains.

For a satyr in a similar pose holding a wineskin over his shoulder see B. Conticello, et al., Rediscovering Pompeii, Rome, 1990, no. 191. See also S. Reinach, Repertoire de la Statuaire Grecque et Romaine, Tome II, vol. I, Paris, 1897, p. 50, no. 6, and 58, nos. 1-2.