Description
This masterpiece of the Roman silversmith’s art is exquisitely worked in relief. The multifigure scene centers on a rustic shrine of the ithyphallic fertility god Priapus, son of Dionysos. He takes the form of a stylized boundary marker atop a column, where a woman seems to have brought him to life by touching him. To the left sits a table with votive offerings to the god. Flanking the shrine are a satyr and maenad, dancing ecstatically.
Provenance
Sir William Drake, F.S.A. (1817-1890), London, England (1867 or after-); Baron Edmond de Rothschild (1845-1934), Paris, France (By 1912); [Auction: Christie's, London, (1966 APR 05), no. 12] (1966); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1966-)
Accession Number
1966.371
Medium
silver
Dimensions
Overall: 12.2 x 7.8 cm (4 13/16 x 3 1/16 in.)
Classification
Metalwork
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund