Satyr and Maenad

Sicilian school, 17th century Satyr and Maenad Alabaster, cm 42 x 31 This small alabaster is structured in two parts: the base, decorated with a meander frieze between two frames with plant motifs, and the two figures of the satyr and the maenad above. Within ancient mythology, these two figures were closely linked to the god Dionysus: the maenads were in fact women possessed by the vital force of the god of drunkenness, of whom they were followers, while the satyr was a minor deity linked to the forest universe and usually associated with Dionysus or the god Pan. The animalistic aspect of the latter is immediately noticeable by observing his hooves, the fleece of the legs up to the goat-like ears. His wild appearance contrasts with the beauty of the maenad, lying under the branches of a tree from whose leaves she has created a temporary bed; the relaxed lasciviousness with which she gently reclines on the trunk is perfectly evident in the gesture of adjusting her hair as well as in the left arm softly resting on the leaves. The variety in the processing of the surfaces is surprising: thinly grooved in the bricks and the trunk, more in relief in the details of the hair and fur, and extraordinarily smooth along the contours of the bodies. Also noteworthy are the small details of the flowers and fruits masterfully set within the composition, so much so that they seem part of the same fragment of alabaster. The material lends itself very well to this variety and enhances the work in all its details, both thanks to the luminous reflection, changing like a pictorial chiaroscuro, and through the different natural tones of the stone. Being in 17th century Sicily, probably in the Trapani area, it is natural to think of the names of the great artists of the Sicilian Baroque, a style that developed in parallel with the Roman one to the point that many architects, sculptors and painters of the island trained in Rome. The artisan tradition and the decorative vein of the Sicilian workshops were perfectly associated with Baroque architecture, which by its nature is richly decorated with sculptures, stuccos, friezes and reliefs. Francesco Ferrigno (1686 –1766), originally from Trapani, the members of the Serpotta family or Ignazio Francesco Marabitti (1719 –1797) are just some of the sculptors that can be mentioned to have coordinates regarding the type of production in which to classify the work. The object is in good condition