Terracotta relief, Satyrs treading grapes

Summary

The relief here is a depiction showing a group of satyrs dancing and treading grapes. To the left of the relief (and the right of the relief), a lone satyr appears to be dancing and playing the trumpet. In the middle of the relief, two satyrs appear to be treading the grapes, although we are missing elements of this scene due to damage on the relief.

Such plaques, which mainly date between about 50 B.C. and 60 A.D., have subsequently been referred to as Campana reliefs. In the late republic and the early Imperial period Campana reliefs were used to protect and adorn the upper walls of temples, private houses, and funerary structures. Campana reliefs have mainly been found mainly in Rome and in Central Italy. They were mould-made in a serial production, and the same motifs are often repeated, mythological themes or subjects with religious overtimes being especially popular.

Description of object

Two young satyrs treading grapes are seen at the centre of the picture. They hold each others’ hands and are moving in a way that is reminiscent of dance steps. Both are clad in a panther’s skin or nebris, tied together by its paws over the chest and falling down behind their backs. The the left of the group a young satyr dressed in a skin is playing the flute. He is turned towards the central group and is dancing behind by himself. The old satyr with a full beard is arriving to the right. An ornamental palmette frieze crowns the figure frieze. There is a good counterpiece to this piece in the National Museum of Copenhagen, and the motif is shown in varied renderings on other Campana reliefs.

Choice of methods

Visual examination

• Macroscopic

Technical imaging

• UV
• VIL
• IR

Sampling

• Cross section
• Microscopy
• XRF
• FT-IR
• Raman

Bibliography

V. Poulsen 1949, no. 99.

Other incidents, for instance K. Herbert, Ancient Art in Bowdoin College, (1964) 114-115, no. 412, pl. 38.

Antik kunst, 50, no. 312;

Schurmann 1989, 263, no. 1001-1002, pl. 166

Picozzi 1990, 74-75, no. 11.