LOT 0128

Roman Bronze Silenus Rider Figurine

1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.

3 7/8 in. (5 1/2 in.) (200 grams, 98 mm (362 grams total, 14 cm high including stand)).

Modelled in the round as a figure of a nude male with legs spread as if bestriding a horse; the bald head tilted an turned towards the right shoulder, with pointed ears, fleshy features and a full beard; a textile covering draped around the right thigh and lower body gathered in the left hand; the legs spread and feet dangling, with later holes for attachment pegs; the right arm extended perpendicular to the body and the hand bent round; the base of the spine with vestigial tail and the cloth draped as if on a horse's rump; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]

London art market, 1992.

Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 140, for type.

The figure represents either Silenus himself, the aged and semi-bestial companion of Dionysus, or a Seilenos - a member of the feral group of which he was the leader. The attitude of the figure, with the right arm extended and the head tilted, suggests that there should have been an accompanying female figure to whom Silenus was paying full attention. As a devotee of Dionysus, Silenus is often shown with Bacchantes, female celebrants in the cult of wine-drinking, music and other pleasurable pursuits.