Head of Satyr. Rome, 2nd century A.D.

Head of Satyr. Rome, 2nd century A.D.
Marble.
Provenance: -Collection of Freiherr -Baron- Dankwart von Bülow, before 1931. -Private collection, Basel, Switzerland, since 1931.
Documentation: Enclosed is a handwritten certificate from Professor Ludwig Curtius, Rome, dated April 28, 1951, as well as a typed copy of the same.
Piece registered in Arachne / iDAI.objects, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, entity ID 1104901.
It shows restorations.
Measurements: 34 cm high.

Important Roman head of a satyr, carved in marble and datable to the 2nd century A.D., a period of special fortune for the Roman reinterpretation of the great Hellenistic sculptural models. The work represents one of the most characteristic figures of the Dionysian Thiasos: the satyr, a wild and sensual being, companion of Dionysus, associated with wine, music, dance and untamed nature.

The piece stands out for its extraordinary expressive force. The face, with its powerful bony structure, is articulated by arched eyebrows, deep-set eyes, wide nose and tense mouth, while the beard and hair unfold in vigorous and deeply dug locks. The treatment of the marble, alternating softer surfaces with a nervous and dynamic carving, generates intense hallmarks of light and accentuates the almost theatrical presence of the figure.

In Roman times, Bacchic images enjoyed great prestige in aristocratic contexts, especially in villas, gardens and private performance spaces, where they evoked otium, refined pleasure and the visual culture of the elite. The sculptural quality of this head, together with its scale, its historical provenance -Freiherr Dankwart von Bülow before 1931 and private collection in Basel since that year-, the certificate of Ludwig Curtius and its registration in Arachne / iDAI.objects, place it as a first level work within the collecting of classical Roman sculpture.