Grand Tour: Bronze Silenus Of Pompeii, 19th Century

An imposing bronze sculpture with a black patina depicting Silenus wrestling a serpent, after a Roman bronze unearthed in Pompeii in 1863 and now in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. The palmette-adorned crown worn by Silenus likely held a vessel containing wine or perhaps an oil lamp. He stands on a circular base decorated with engraved motifs. The satyr, with his virile features and bare torso, is draped in a short robe tied around his hips. His head, crowned with vine leaves and bunches of grapes, emphasizes his role as a Bacchic creature.
The satyr, firmly planted on the ground and slightly bent over, grasps the animal and, in a fit of rage, prepares to hurl it violently, his muscles tense with exertion.
His raised right arm holds a coiled serpent, whose open mouth supports a large decorative bowl suspended above him. The bowl is finely chased with scrolls, acanthus leaves, and volutes, typical of the Neoclassical ornamental vocabulary. The whole rests on a molded circular base, enriched with engraved geometric and vegetal motifs.
Dimensions: Height = 65 cm (with bowl) / 60 cm without;
Base diameter = 25 cm;
Bowl depth = 9 cm;
Bowl diameter = 21 cm;
Maximum width = 27 cm