LOT 0187

Roman Bronze Silenus Statuette

1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.

5 1/4 in. (319 grams total, 13.5 cm including stand).

Bust and torso of Silenus in dramatic pose with right hand raised, wreath of leaves to the hair and garland of grapes and vine leaves to the chest; lower body developing to a scrolled foliage mount with lateral rosettes; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]

with Bonhams, Knightsbridge, 8 April 1997, no.102.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.

Exhibited at the Harwich Museum, Harwich, Essex, UK, 11th September-2nd December 2024; accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the artefacts on display.

Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, items 140, 398, for type; for the general iconography of Silenus see Reinach, S., Répertoire de la statuaire grecque et romaine, Paris, 1897, pp.50ff.

The figure represents either Silenus himself, the aged and semi-bestial companion of Dionysus, or a satyr - a member of the feral group of which he was the leader. As a devotee of Dionysus, Silenus is often shown with Bacchantes, female celebrants in the cult of wine-drinking, music and other pleasurable pursuits.