Statuette of a Reclining Silenus
1st–2nd century A.D.
- Medium
- Marble
- Dimensions
- 30.5 × 40.5 cm
- Status
- In Museum Collection
- Collect24 Art ID
- C24-244180
A nude male figure reclines on a drapery-covered animal skin, stretched over a rocky outcrop. The figure's head, elevated right arm, left forearm, and both lower legs are missing. The big belly and fleshy thighs may identify this figure as a Silenus, an older satyr in the retinue of the wine god Dionysus. Like satyrs, maenads, and other followers of Dionysus, Silenus was associated with drunkenness. Statuettes of sleeping Sileni resting their heads on a wineskin are common throughout the Roman Empire; they were frequently employed as fountain figures in private residences. However, this figure is shown awake, and without the attributes of Silenus (such as a wineskin or a tail). An alternative interpretation is that it represents a particularly plump Hercules: comparable votive sculptures from Attic workshops frequently show the hero resting on his left side, with a bowl in his left hand and drapery over his thighs.
Provenance
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Villa Collection, Malibu, California
Registry history
- 1st–2nd century A.D. — Recorded in the collection of J. Paul Getty Museum — sculpture
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