The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Antefix with Satyr Face

Antefix with Satyr Face

c. 525–480 BCE
Location: 102C Greek

Did You Know?

Despite the connections between satyrs and Dionysos, not all satyr-head antefixes belonged to Dionysian buildings.

Description

This frontal satyr face, easily recognized by its snub nose and equine ears, served numerous purposes. As an antefix, it capped the open end of a roof tile, preventing wind, water, and pests from entering the building below. With its naturalistic mold-made features, enhanced with pigment and perhaps additional stamped and carved details, the antefix would also have provided striking visual ornament, especially when seen in long rows high above.
  • Howard, Rossiter. "Greek Sculptures in Terra-Cotta." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 14, no. 2 (1927): 21-22, with ill. following.
    F. A. W. "The Bequests of Mary Warden Harkness: A Tribute and an Accounting." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 15, no. 2 (1928): 43-50. Ill. p. 46.
    Padgett, J. Michael, William A. P. Childs, and D. S. Tsiaphakē. The Centaur's Smile: The Human Animal in Early Greek Art. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Art Museum, 2003. Pp. 251-253, cat. 59.
  • The Centaur's Smile: The Human Animal in Early Greek Art. Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ (organizer) (October 11, 2003-January 18, 2004); Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (February 22-May 16, 2004).
    Princeton University Art Museum (10/11/2003 - 1/18/2004) and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (2/22/2003 - 5/16/2004): "The Centaur's Smile: The Human Animal in Early Greek Art", exh. cat. no. 60, p. 251-252.
  • {{cite web|title=Antefix with Satyr Face|url=false|author=|year=c. 525–480 BCE|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1926.552