Harvard Art Museums > 1972.49: Antefix in the Shape of a Mask of Silenos Architectural Elements Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Antefix in the Shape of a Mask of Silenos , 1972.49,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 19, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/287354. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Gallery Text Attached to a tile, this mask of Silenos would originally have peered down from the edge of a roof. Such antefixes were common in Greek temple decoration, which was often executed in painted terracotta in the Greek cities of South Italy and Sicily. Like the satyrs depicted on the large mixing bowl for wine and water (1960.236), the silens were mythical companions of Dionysos, characterized by their thirst for wine. Old Silenos was the father of the satyrs. Despite his startling appearance, with a furrowed face, bulbous nose, and equine ears, he was thought to be a creature full of wisdom and skilled in music, and his representation may have hinted at the rebirth promised to worshippers of Dionysos. Identification and Creation Object Number 1972.49 Title Antefix in the Shape of a Mask of Silenos Classification Architectural Elements Work Type architectural element Date c. 470-460 BCE Places Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Gela (Sicily) Period Classical period, Early Culture Greek Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/287354 Location Location Level 3, Room 3400, Ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Art, Ancient Greece in Black and Orange View this object's location on our interactive map Physical Descriptions Medium Terracotta with traces of paint Technique Molded Dimensions 23.5 cm h x 20 cm w x 14 cm d (9 1/4 x 7 7/8 x 5 1/2 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Charles L. Morley, (by 1960) sold; to Frederick M. Watkins, New Haven, CT, (1961-1972), bequest; to Fogg Art Museum, 1972. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Frederick M. Watkins Accession Year 1972 Object Number 1972.49 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Publication History The Frederick M. Watkins Collection, exh. cat., Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1973) Caroline Houser, Dionysos and His Circle: Ancient Through Modern, exh. cat., Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, 1979), no. 35. Stephen R. Wilk, Medusa: Solving the Mystery of the Gorgon, Oxford University Press (UK) (Oxford, NY, 2000), p. 166, fig. 9.7 Exhibition History The Frederick M. Watkins Collection, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 01/31/1973 - 03/14/1973 Dionysos and His Circle: Ancient through Modern, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 12/10/1979 - 02/10/1980 Re-View: S422 Ancient & Byzantine Art & Numismatics, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 04/12/2008 - 06/18/2011 32Q: 3400 Greek, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050 Subjects and Contexts Collection Highlights Google Art Project Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
