Pendant: satyr's head
Unknown Artist
5th century BCE
Medium
Amber
Dimensions
2 3/16 × 1 9/16 × 1 1/8 in. (5.5 × 4 × 2.9 cm)
Classification
Miscellaneous-Amber
Culture & Period
Italic · Classical
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan P. Rosen, 1992
Accession Number
1992.267.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite amber pendant, depicting a satyr's head, dates to the 5th century BCE during the Classical period. Crafted by an unknown Italic artist—likely from central or southern Italy—it measures just over 2 inches tall, perfect for personal adornment as jewelry or an amulet. Satyrs, those mischievous half-man, half-goat figures from Greek mythology, embody revelry, fertility, and the wild spirit of Dionysian rites, suggesting cultural exchanges between Greek colonists and Italic peoples. Amber, a fossilized tree resin sourced from distant Baltic trade routes, was a luxury material in ant...