Statuary Group of Three Satyrs Fighting a Serpent
about 1st century CE
Medium
Marble
Dimensions
64.1 × 80 × 36.8 cm (25 1/4 × 31 1/2 × 14 1/2 in.)
Classification
sculpture
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
210354
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In 1488, an artwork matching the description of this small, powerful sculptural group was discovered in Rome and likely sold to Lorenzo de’ Medici (1449–1492). It depicts a slithering serpent ensnaring and squeezing the life out of three hapless satyrs. One of them collapses, almost expired; the other two writhe in agonizing death throes. In a bold and dynamic composition, the two kneeling creatures lean away from, but twist toward, one another. The diagonal lines created by the kneeling satyrs ...
About the Artist
Ancient Roman
The artists attributed to "Ancient Roman" in museum collections represent the anonymous craftsmen who produced the vast output of sculpture, frescoes, mosaics, and reliefs defining Roman visual culture from the Republic (c. 509–27 BCE) to the late Empire (c. 395 CE). Individual identities remain elusive, as Roman makers were typically viewed as skilled tradesmen—often enslaved Greeks or provincial...