Miniature Head of a Silenus | Harvard Art Museums

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 1992.256.22
Title: Miniature Head of a Silenus
Classification: Sculpture
Work Type: sculpture, head
Date: c. 400 -300 BCE
Period: Classical period, Late, to Early Hellenistic
Culture: Greek
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/289132

Physical Descriptions

Medium: Terracotta
Dimensions: 3.1 x 2.3 cm (1 1/4 x 7/8 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History: Louise M. and George E. Bates, Camden, ME (by 1971-1992), gift; to the Harvard University Art Museums, 1992.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line: Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Louise M. and George E. Bates
Accession Year: 1992
Object Number: 1992.256.22
Division: Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact: am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description: This mold-made head was perhaps a decoration for a vase, perhaps applied at the base of vertical handle.

It depicts a finely molded head of bald silenus with projecting egg shaped forehead, tiny, deeply-set eyes, a snub nose and mustache framing a small pierced mouth. The long beard in rendered in globular relief locks. A pair of symmetrically opposed curled curving locks adorns the bottom of the beard. Mold made solid with smooth back and a horizontal groove across the base.

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or 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

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