A Roman marble Silenius

This sculpture depicts Silenius, a companion and tutor to the wine god Dionysus in the Greek mythology.  The Roman love of decorative sculpture with Bacchic themes, often with humorous overtones, is well documented from Pompeii and elsewhere. As here, where Silenus pours wine from a wineskin, the mature satyr was usually shown engaging in Dionysiac activities, including making music and holding the infant Bacchus (cf. nos. 214-215 in E. Simon, 'Silenoi', LIMC VIII, Zurich and Düsseldorf, 1997). For a very similar ageing satyr with fleshy pectorals and abdomen pouring wine from a skin balanced on his thigh cf. D. Boschung and H. von Hesberg, Die antiken Skulpturen in Newby Hall, sowie in anderen Sammlungen in Yorkshire, Wiesbaden, 2007 , pp. 54-56, pls 24-25, no. 16.