Artwork Page for Head of Silenus

Details / Information for Head of Silenus

Head of Silenus

c. 1547–87

Adamo Scultori

(Italian, c. 1530–1585)

after Giulio Romano

(Italian, 1492/99–1546)
Culture
Italy
Medium
engraving
Measurements
Platemark: 13.5 cm (5 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Elizabeth Carroll Shearer Fund 2025.137
Catalogue raisonné
Bartsch 128, Bellini 98
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

This engraving’s circular cut plate imitates circular decorative elements featuring grotesque heads, such as those found on doorframes and other architectural borders in Renaissance architecture.

Description

This engraving by the Mantuan artist Adamo Scultori is based on an untraced design for stuccowork designed by Giulio Romano at the duke of Mantua’s Palazzo del Te. Silenus was the mythological teacher of Bacchus. Known for his great wisdom, which was enhanced by wine, he was often portrayed as the embodiment of overindulgence and revelry. Adamo emphasized these qualities in Silenus’s slightly inebriated expression and extended tongue. The dark contrasts and heavily worked, hatched areas of the engraving create deep shadows that relay the character of relief carving, like stucco.

Head of Silenus

c. 1547–87

Adamo Scultori, Giulio Romano

(Italian, c. 1530–1585), (Italian, 1492/99–1546)
Italy

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