Satyr Mask
4th century BCE
Description
This satyr head, with a full moustache and beard, has a deeply furrowed brow, flaring and bulbous nostrils and thick rims around his eyes. The high-arching eyebrows spring from the bridge of the nose. The lips are full and the hair falls in curls down either side of the face. A pointed equine ear is preserved on the satyr's left side. Also surviving are two rosettes or berry clusters and a leaf fragment that probably formed part of the Dionysiac crown or "taenia." The mask is made of pale, cream-colored clay, and is heavily weathered and abraded. A large part of the right side of the head is missing. Traces of white slip on both front and concave back side.
Dimensions
29 x 20 cm (11 7/16 x 7 7/8 in.)
Provenance
December 1963 purchase from Munzen und Medaillen, AG, Basel, Switzerland.
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