Attic Red-Figure Kylix (Front)

Satyrs were part-human, part-horse companions of the wine-god Dionysos. Frequently shown behaving as mortals should not, their lustful – but invariably unfulfilled – pursuits were a favorite theme on symposium vessels. Filling the interior of this fragmentary red-figure kylix or cup, a satyr crawls over a large rocky outcropping toward a sleeping maenad, whom he seeks to kiss. The maenad, one of the female followers of Dionysos, reclines on a striped cushion. In the background hangs a wineskin, inscribed with the word ‘beautiful’. Around it, perhaps conveying the thoughts of the satyr, is another inscription ‘the girl is beautiful’.



Each side of the exterior of the cup once displayed a figure of a satyr shown in a complex pose. The better preserved is shown from behind; only the profile-view legs, tail, and drinking horn remain of the other. Perhaps these two figures depict the same satyr in pursuit of his desire, and the interior the moment when he finally encounters her.