Marble two-sided relief

Unknown

1st century CE · Marble · Greek and Roman Art

The peristyle gardens of Roman houses and villas were filled with decorative marble reliefs such as this one. The masks of a young maenad and a bearded silenus are carved on one side in high relief. A shepherd’s crook, known in antiquity as a pedum, and two cymbals rest between them. Dionysiac cult objects and theatrical masks are often depicted on similar marble ornaments found in Pompeii, where they were suspended between the columns of the peristyle or set on tall pillars around the garden. Other themes, however, are also represented; on the other side of this piece, in low relief, a ketos, or sea monster, rides atop the waves.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1st century CE

Medium

Marble

Culture

Roman

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Gift of Renée E. and Robert A. Belfer, 2012