Marble mask of Pan

Unknown

1st century CE · Marble · Greek and Roman Art

The remains of two horns set in the bristling hair identify this bearded mask as that of Pan, the rustic goat god, who was venerated all over the Greek and Roman world as an uncivilized power of nature. His cult originated among the herdsmen of Arcadia, a wild mountainous region of Greece, but by the time this decorative mask was produced, Pan had become primarily a denizen of private villas, where on wall paintings and in garden sculpture, he disported with Dionysus and his band of satyrs and maenads.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1st century CE

Medium

Marble

Culture

Roman

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

The Bothmer Purchase Fund, 2002