Satyr Relief Plaque in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, June 2018

Relief Plaque (Primary Title)

Unknown (Artist)

Date: 4th century BC

Culture: Greek

Category: Sculpture

Medium: copper alloy

Collection: Ancient Art

Dimensions: Overall: 5 × 3 3/4 in. (12.7 × 9.53 cm)

Object Number: 57.18.2


This masterful relief is perhaps from the shoulder guard of a cuirass or the cheek piece of a helmet. It shows a satyr kneeling in a landscape (indicated by a tree) with a dramatically foreshortened right leg and left hand. A satyr typically has a snub nose, wears a panther skin, and bears a thyrsus (a staff surmounted by a pinecone).

Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-8056243