Vases Amphora Scarab with Satyr Carrying an Amphora
Scarab with Satyr Carrying an Amphora

Scarab with Satyr Carrying an Amphora

Amphora · 325–275 B.C.
On a gemstone with a hatched border, a satyr walks to the right, with his left leg forward. He bends over to peer into the mouth of a wine amphora, which he holds in both hands. The gem is carved in the "a globolo" style, with simplified fluid contours that articulate the figure's powerful anatomy. The scarab on the obverse is carefully cut. The legs are in relief and the thorax, elytra, and winglets are bordered by hatched lines; the head is hatched. The plinth is decorated with bands of diagonally hatched lines. Gems depicting satyrs and wine vessels, or other motifs illustrating the companions of the wine god Dionysos (Fufluns) are as popular in Etruscan glyptic as they are in Greek art generally.
Shape
Date
325–275 B.C.
Culture
Etruscan
Dimensions
H: 1.83 cm W: 1.48 cm
Medium
Banded black and white agate
Museum
J. Paul Getty Museum
Accession Number
83.AN.437.15
Image Source
getty_cc0
Images courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)