Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
The figure moves with great vigor, his right leg thrust forward, torso held erect, and head turned slightly downward and to the left. Torsion at the hips and the upper body open the composition, creating a dynamic pose. Although broken near the shoulder, the left arm was clearly raised. The right shoulder is slightly lowered, and the right arm, also broken off near the shoulder, is held out from the body. The torso is elongated. Although lacking certain characteristic features, such as pointed ears, a tail, and goat’s horns, the figure is best identified as a satyr in an active pose (1). The broad nose, full lips, large eyes, and wild hair add to the non-Greek, almost mask-like portrayal. The sculptor has placed great emphasis on the bold modeling of the musculature rather than surface detail. The eyes were inlaid, however, and an indentation on the crown of the head may well be an indication that he wore a wreath made of another material (2). Since his arms and lower legs are missing, several restorations are possible. He may be engaged in a chase, a foot race, or a fight. More likely, he is in the act of carrying wine or other attributes of Dionysiac revelry (3).
NOTES:
1. A running or fighting barbarian is a less likely interpretation.
2. This wreath is likely to have taken the form of a grapevine, ivy, or myrtle associating the figure with Dionysos. Compare a late fourth century BCE bronze statuette of a dancing youth in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, inv. No. 1972.118.94, published in J. R. Mertens, Greek Bronzes in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, 1985) no. 31. Contrast the delicate stance of this dancing figure with the more dynamic forward thrusting pose of the Harvard satyr.
3. For a similar composition, compare a bronze statuette of a satyr carrying a wine amphora and thyrsos in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, inv. no. 07.286.90, published in G. M. A. Richter, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Bronzes (New York, 1915) 126-27, no. 251, fig. 251.
Seán Hemingway
