Andrea Riccio (Circle of)
(Italian
,
1470
-
1532)
Oil Lamp in the form of a Satyr Bust
1510
-
30
bronze
8.75 x 5.13 x 7.25 in
22.23 x 13.02 x 18.42 cm
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene V. Thaw
86.2
The artist of this lamp, which displays a satyr with a beard of leaves supported by a large bird’s talon, likely found inspiration in classical Roman bronzes. Satyrs— mythological creatures who are half goat and half man—served Bacchus, god of drunkenness and revelry. During the Italian Renaissance, they were seen as creatures entirely at the mercy of their own sensual appetites. Oil was poured into this lamp through the hole with a hinged lid on the back of the head, and a wick was inserted into the satyr’s open mouth.
JS