Seated satyr with silvered eyes 1525 - 1550

Andrea Riccio cast this bronze satyr, now at the Met, during the Italian Renaissance, a rebirth of classical ideals. Note the silvered eyes and the goat-like features - horns, pointed ears, and shaggy lower body. These identify the figure as a satyr, a creature from Greek mythology, embodying the wild and untamed aspects of nature. The satyr holds a vessel in its raised hand, perhaps hinting at wine, a symbol of revelry and ecstatic experience. The satyr's attributes remind me of Dionysus, the god of wine and theatre, whose cult involved ecstatic rituals. Across time, the satyr appears in various forms, sometimes as a benevolent forest spirit, other times as a symbol of lust. The survival of the satyr motif reveals how deeply rooted are the ideas of nature and the subconscious, ever resurfacing in art.