The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Wild Man
late 1400s
Overall: 13.4 cm (5 1/4 in.)
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
The wild man is derived from the Greek satyr who lived in the woods.Description
Common in medieval art, the wild man is humanlike in appearance with long shaggy hair over his entire body and typically carries a club. Living at the fringe of society in woodland areas, wild men symbolized man in his natural, uncivilized state. Perhaps derived from the part-man part-beast satyr of antiquity, the wild man symbolized lust and aggression in contrast to the spiritual love embodied in medieval chivalry. This bearded version is shown kneeling while raising his right arm holding a club. He wears a twisted cloth circlet on his head and a similar belt at the waist. It has been suggested that this sculpture originally formed part of a suspended candelabra. It may also have served as support for large metal vessels.- Dr. Albert Figdor, Vienna, (sale: Paul Cassirer, Berlin, 1930, V, lot 481); Mathias Komor, New York).
- Medieval Monsters: Terrors, Aliens, Wonders. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 7-October 6, 2019).Wild Folk: Medieval Myth and Symbolism. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (October 15, 1980-January 12, 1981).Year in Review: 1965. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27-November 14, 1965).
- {{cite web|title=Wild Man|url=false|author=|year=late 1400s|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1965.21