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Statuary Group of Three Satyrs Fighting a Serpent

A work made of marble.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of marble.

Date:

about 1st century CE

Artist:

Roman

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 converge at their companion, whose fallen body extends the full width of the base. The Renaissance artists Antonio Pollaiuolo (1433–1498) and Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475–1564) may have studied the group and incorporated elements of it into their own compositions.

Status

On View, Gallery 150

Department

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Artist

Ancient Roman

Title

Statuary Group of Three Satyrs Fighting a Serpent

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1 CE–100 CE

Medium

Marble

Dimensions

64.1 × 80 × 36.8 cm (25 1/4 × 31 1/2 × 14 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Anonymous loan

Reference Number

190.2012

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/210354/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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