Kottabos Element of a Dancing Satyr

Description

This diminutive dancing satyr, identifiable by his snub nose and equine ears (though without a tail), lifts his leg and reaches with an upstretched arm toward a dish, now lost. The disc and cylinder on which he stands likely rested atop a much taller post, with a larger disc or dish below, as preserved in more complete examples and illustrated on numerous ancient vases. In the drinking game kottabos, known by its Greek name but also popular in Etruria, the goal was to knock a dish off its precarious perch, in this case the hand of the dancing satyr, using only the wine dregs in your cup.

Provenance

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1974-)

Kottabos Element of a Dancing Satyr

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470–450 BCE

Accession Number

1974.16

Medium

bronze

Dimensions

Overall: 15 cm (5 7/8 in.)

Classification

Sculpture

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund