Appliqué

350–250 B.C.

Medium

Silver with gilding

Dimensions

3.4 × 3 cm

Status

In Museum Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-208612

The head of a satyr, a half-human companion of Dionysos, the god of wine, forms this appliqué. His eyes and brows with their almost cat-like slant and his pointed ears give away his animal nature. He wears a wreath of pointed leaves on his head and a Dionysiac panther-skin tied around his neck. The head was originally surrounded by a background plate with incised decoration that has now largely disintegrated. The unknown silversmith covered the entire surface of the appliqué except the face with gilding, accentuating the handsome young face by the color contrast. Scholars do not know what this appliqué was used for. Many possible uses are ruled out because unlike most appliqués, this one curves and was made to fit a convex surface. The high relief of the head suggests that it was fashioned by hammering a sheet of silver over a form. This technique was useful in producing multiple copies of an image, so this head may be one of a set.