Silenus as an Atlas Figure, Second Figure
Unknown · Second century AD
The second of the four Silenus supports preserves its ancient head, which makes it the best place to read the character. The hair is tied in a knot over the forehead, the beard is thick, the ears pointed in the manner of a satyr, and the face has the grin of an old reveller. The body is hairy and heavy, one hand on the hip, and the genitals are infibulated. Behind the figure a section of the pillar runs the full height of the back on the right side, with the remains of a palmette ornament.
The head, torso and the fingertips of the left hand are ancient; both arms, the left leg from the hip and the right leg from mid-thigh are modern, completed in veined marble. Chips mark the left shoulder and hip, the hair and the groin. The four were seized in Rome in 1803 during the Napoleonic transfers and have stood together at the Louvre ever since, now in the former riding hall of the palace. They date from the second century and come from a building whose porch or courtyard they once supported.
Did You Know? This is the only one of the four Silenus supports to keep its ancient head, with its knotted hair and satyr's grin.
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