White marble
Roman Empire, crica 100/150 AD
Published in: Comstock/Vermeule, ‘Sculpture in Stone, The Greek, Roman and Etruscan collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’, Boston, 1976, no. 200 with illustration (see image gallery)
Unusual sculpture of a satyr with the horns of Zeus Ammon
Height (without base): 24 cm
Provenance: ex . Charles Callahan Perkins Collection Boston; since 1876 in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; acquired at Sotheby’s New York on 31.5.1997; thereafter German private collection
High quality collector’s piece with excellent provenance

This marble head of a satyr dates back to the Roman Empire around 100/150 AD. The mythological creature has the face of a satyr with a wrinkled forehead and pointed ears. The short curly beard, and the goat horns on the sides are typical of Zeus Ammon. The extraordinary sculpture is a rare example in which the satyr’s head is combined with the horns of Zeus Ammon. More common are double herms with a satyr on one side and Zeus Ammon on the other. The head is mounted onto a modern base.



The flawless provenance of this object is to be emphasized. The head was in the collection of the American art critic Charles Callahan Perkins (1823-1886). In 1876 it was given to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and was later acquired by the present owner at Sotheby’s New York in 1997.

The work was published in: Comstock/Vermeule, ‘Sculpture in Stone, The Greek, Roman and Etruscan collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’, Boston, 1976, no. 200 with illustration (see image gallery)



The head is in a fair condition consistent with age. Part of the right half of the face has broken away, the surfaces are battered and worn, but the formal spirit of the sculpture remains. The back of the head shows remnants of plaster from a previous mounting in a wall. The head measures 24 cm in height, the base measures 11 cm in height.