1972.326: Antefix in the Form of the Head of a Satyr

Identification and Creation

Object Number

1972.326

Title

Antefix in the Form of the Head of a Satyr

Classification

Architectural Elements

Work Type

architectural element

Date

c. 470 BCE-450 BCE

Places

Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Tarentum (Apulia)

Period

Classical period, Early

Culture

Greek

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/287380

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Polychromed terracotta

Technique

Mold-made

Dimensions

H.18.5 x W. 14.5 cm (7 5/16 x 5 11/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History

[A. Emmerich Gallery, New York, NY], sold; to Frederick M. Watkins, Providence, RI (by 1972), bequest; to the 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

1972.326

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Description

This mold-made terracotta antefix represents the head of a satyr. The eyes are wide, the nose is broad, and the plump lips are closed. The features are in low relief with remains of red, yellow, and brown pigment. The antefix likely comes from a larger plaque that would have decorated the roof of a temple or other architectural structure.

Publication History

• Dr. Herbert A. Cahn, Art of Ancient Italy: Etruscans, Greeks, and Romans, exh. cat., André Emmerich Gallery (New York, NY, 1970), p.35, no. 47.
• The Frederick M. Watkins Collection, exh. cat., Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1973), pp. 34-35, no. 12.
• Caroline Houser, Dionysos and His Circle: Ancient Through Modern, exh. cat., Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, 1979), no. 34.
• David Gordon Mitten and Amy Brauer, Dialogue with Antiquity, The Curatorial Achievement of George M. A. Hanfmann, exh. cat., Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1982), p. 13, no. 29.
• Stephen R. Wilk, Medusa: Solving the Mystery of the Gorgon, Oxford University Press (UK) (Oxford, NY, 2000), p. 166, fig. 9.6

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
• Dialogue with Antiquity: The Curatorial Achievement of George M.A. Hanfmann, Fogg Art Museum, 05/07/1982 - 06/26/1982
• 32Q: 3620 University Study Gallery, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/07/2016 - 05/08/2016

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