Emblem Dish with Nymph and Satyr

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Emblem Dish with Nymph and Satyr

Place of OriginLikely Turkey (reported by dealer)

Date150-100 BCE

Dimensions1 × 6 1/8 × 6 1/8 in., 168.4g (2.5 × 15.5 × 15.5 cm, 168.4 kg)

Mediumgilded silver

ClassificationMetalwork

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1984.67

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic

DescriptionRaised, lathe-spun, and gilded silver.

Label TextA lusty satyr seizes a nymph about the waist, while she desperately tries to push him away. They wrestle in a secluded grove, with leafy trees and a flower-strewn ground, where the nymph has hung her clothes on a tree in order to bathe at the fountain. The nymph’s pose is based on a popular mid-3rd century BCE cult statue of Aphrodite kneeling to bathe. In Greek mythology, nymphs were nature spirits in the form of beautiful young women, often associated with springs or other outdoor locations. Satyrs were the semi-bestial male companions of the god Dionysos, who roamed the forests and mountains. Such an elaborate dish was likely meant for display, rather than for serving food.Published References

Oliver, Andrew Jr., "New Hellenistic Silver: Mirror, Emblem Dish and Spoons," Jahrbuch der Berliner Museen, vol. 19, 1977, pp. 13-22.

Krug, Antje, Die Berliner Nereidenschale aus Bergkristall, Berlin, 1998, p. 21, Abb. 32, 33, p. 20, 21.

Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art Masterworks, Toledo, 2009, p. 76, repr. (col.).

Exhibition History

Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art; Kansas City, Atkins Museum of Fine Art; Fort Worth, The Kimbell Art Mueum, Silver for the Gods: 800 Years of Greek and Roman Silver, 1977-1978, no. 54, p. 91.