Silen Satyr head replica, museum, 20 cm, 1,1 kg
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Original representation, Satyr head as Antefix
Satyrs, in ancient Greek myth also called Satyros, were boisterous, wild, lustful demons of nature.
Like the Silene half equine and indistinguishable from them - also with horse ears, hooves and mostly erect phallus - these beings were frequently to be found in the orgiastic and ecstatic entourage of the wine and fertility god Dionysos.
In Hellenistic times the satyrs were depicted in the shape of a ram as a result of their approach to Pan, the patron god of shepherds and the small cattle, son of Hermes.
Satyr Marsyas picked up the flute Athena had thrown away because the blowing distorted her face and achieved great mastery in the game. The god of light Apollo, invited by Marsyas to compete, won and pulled off his skin alive. His blood became the river of the same name.
Originally native to the Peloponnese, the cheerful scenic satyr play was a genre of its own in the theatre. Among his main figures were satyrs with thick bellies or - in Athens - with ponytails and phalls, which performed a hustle and bustle determined by excessive lust for food, drink and senses.
The "Cyclops" by Euripides is the only satyr game completely preserved. Extensive games have been handed down from the "Net Fishers" of Aeschylus and Sophokles´ "Sniffing Dogs".
Satyr head as an Antefix, found on Gela, Sicily, early 5th century BC, made of ceramine (high-strength special plaster) in bronze finish.
(Antefix, Latin "to fix in front", originally plates of fired clay attached to the eaves to protect the wooden edge of the roof; also the trim ending against the eaves on the roof tiles.)
This product was added to our catalog on Friday, January 24, 2014.