Etruscan Bronze Reclining Satyr. 6th - 5th century B.C. 5.5 cm Length. Spanish Export License.

Reclining Satyr.

Etruscan, 6th - 5th century B.C.

Bronze

5.5 cm length, 4.2 cm height and 6.5 cm height with the stand.

CONDITION: Good condition. part of the arms are missing.

PROVENANCE: Private collection, Claude Bernard, Paris, France. 1970

DESCRIPTION:

Etruscan statuette of round bulk, cast in lost wax bronze, representing a satyr reclining, leaning on his left leg and arm, with his torso upright and legs crossed at the ankles. The sculptor follows the usual iconography for the representation of satyrs: naked and athletic body, with long animal tail, face with some animalistic features -in this case, the mule ears, the big mouth with thick lips and the pronounced frown-, long hair and dense beard. The character wears a headdress that covers the crown and the nape of the neck, and a medallion applied on the forehead. The satyr's expression is typically archaic, endowed with a serene hieratism that reflects his supernatural character, with the gaze of almond-shaped eyes fixed and the mouth closed, relaxed and expressionless. The posture, on the other hand, is dynamic in the way the body is posed, which turns to show itself almost frontally to the viewer, while the legs and the final plume of the tail cross, joining at the same point. The piece presents a beautiful patina of reddish and bluish tones on the green base.

The sculpture is worked with exquisite modeling, despite its small size; the richness and delicacy of detail, the careful work of the anatomy, the complexity of its composition and movement and, above all, the beautiful expression of the face, reveal the hand of a master sculptor. This great quality, together with the small size of the work, suggests that it could be a figurative applique belonging to a sumptuary object, perhaps for use in banquets, rituals or in combat. Given the chosen subject matter, it is most likely the applique of a vessel intended to contain wine, linked to the god Dionysus. In the British Museum there is a statuette, identified as a vase applique, with a composition very similar to that of the piece under study, although with a simpler sculptural work (fig. 1). Another from the same museum, also probably a vase applique, shows the satyr holding a reed flute (fig. 2).

Despite the modeling that moves towards naturalism, in line with contemporary Greek art, the statuette maintains the typically Etruscan physiognomy of the satyr: almond-shaped eyes with a fixed gaze, with a differentiated pupil and iris, a short, flat, rounded nose, and a mouth with thick lips. Also typical of the Etruscan satyr is the neat beard, with an almost geometric design and oval profile (fig. 3), as well as the same proportion of the figure, with an ideal, athletic and stylized body, in contrast with a head that is slightly large in comparison (fig. 4).

The Etruscans used metal to manufacture a wide range of objects, from purely functional, everyday objects, such as tools or weapons, to the most elaborate votive and sumptuary objects. A characteristic feature of Etruscan metal art, and especially of bronze, is the careful decoration that appears even on the most common objects. They were therefore highly appreciated outside Italy, as evidenced by the discovery of many of these objects in European sites, especially in Greece, where we find testimonies such as that of the Athenian tyrant Critias, who praised the quality of Etruscan metalwork, highlighting its libation bowls embossed in gold and its bronze ornaments for the house.

Satyrs are male creatures that in Greek mythology accompanied Pan and Dionysus, wandering through forests and mountains. They are associated with sexual appetite. Painters of ceramic vases used to represent them together with nymphs and maenads, sometimes with perpetual erections. They form the "Dionysian retinue" that accompanies the god Dionysus. A tradition considered that the sons of Silenus, called Maron, Leneus and Astreo, would have been the fathers of the satyrs. All three were in the retinue of Dionysus when he traveled to India and, in fact, Astreo was the driver of his chariot. Satyrs are merry and mischievous creatures, although their lighthearted and festive nature can turn dangerous and even violent. As Dionysian creatures, they are lovers of wine, women and enjoy physical pleasures.

This piece has been made using the lost wax technique, a sculptural procedure by which a mold is first made from a prototype, traditionally carved in beeswax. The previous model is surrounded by a thick layer of soft material that solidifies, usually clay; once hardened, it is placed inside an oven, which melts the wax figure, leaving it through holes created specifically for this purpose, and in its place, molten metal is injected to adopt the exact shape of the model. To extract the final piece it is necessary to remove the mold.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

- BRENDEL, O. Etruscan Art. Yale University Press. 1995.
- HAYNES, S. Etruscan Civilizaton: A Cultural History. J. Paul Getty Museum, 2005.
- HAYNES, S. Etruscan Bronze Utensils. British Museum Publications. 1974.
- RICHTER, G. Greek, Etruscan and Roman Bronzes. Gilliss Press. 1915.

PARALLELS:

Fig. 1 Satyr statuette, probably an applique. Etruscan, ca. 475-450 B.C. Bronze, 3.81 cm high. British Museum, London, inv. 1859,0301.19.

Fig. 2 Satyr statuette, probably an applique. Etruscan, ca. 500-475 B.C. Bronze, 6.9 cm high. British Museum, London, inv. 1824,0466.1.

Fig. 3 Chariot applique with satyr's head. Etruscan, ca. 500-480 B.C. Bronze, 7.9 x 5.1 x 9.8 cm. Metropolitan Museum, New York, inv. 29.131.3s.

Fig. 4 Pair of reclining satyr statuettes, probably appliqués from the mouth of a vase. Etruscan, late 6th c. B.C. Bronze, 5 and 5.2 cm high. Metropolitan Museum, New York, inv. 1972.118.65-66.

Fig. 4 Pair of reclining satyr statuettes, probably appliqués from the mouth of a vase. Etruscan, late 6th c. B.C. Bronze, 5 and 5.2 cm high. Metropolitan Museum, New York, inv. 1972.118.65-66.





Notes:
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The piece includes authenticity certificate.
The piece includes Spanish Export License.