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Panel with bust of Maenad and Satyr Painted plaster Pompeii VI 2, 22 (House of the Dancers) Pompeii Archaeological Park, Inv. N. 17713 18⅛ × 17⅜ in.; thickness 1¾ in. 45–79 CE (Fourth Style) © MIC – Parco Archeologico di Pompei
On a green background, delimited by red bands edged in yellow, a couple belonging to the Dionysian court is depicted half-bust and in an embrace: a young maenad and an old satyr. The maenad’s head is crowned with vines and berries—which defines her status as a follower of Dionysus— and her hair is loose on her shoulders. She holds the old Silenus close to her and offers him a silver kantharos from which she seems to invite him to drink. The satyr, his head crowned with a shoot of ivy, rests his face on the maenad’s right cheek, looking at her mischievously, emphasizing her youth and the smoothness of her skin in contrast with his own, which is old and wizened. —AC
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