Silenus
In Greek mythology, Silenus was a companion and tutor to the wine god Dionysus. He is typically older than the satyrs of the Dionysian retinue (thiasos), and sometimes considerably older, in which case he may be referred to as a Papposilenus. The plural sileni refers to the mythological figure as a type that is sometimes thought to be differentiated from a satyr by having the attributes of a horse rather than a goat, though usage of the two words is not consistent enough to permit a sharp distinction.
Silenus Stamp Collection
A priestess (center), wearing a head covering and a wreath of myrtle removes a covering from a ceremonial basket held by a female attendant. Speculations about the contents of the basket include: more laurel, a snake, or flower petals. A second female attendant wearing a wreath, pours purifying water into a basin in which the priestess is about to dip a sprig of laurel.
Mythological characters and music are introduced into the narrative. An aging Silenus plays a ten-string lyre resting on a column.
In Rubens' painting he is shown drunkenly tottering, his belly swollen with meat and drink, and supported by a disparate collection of dotards, drunkards, blacks, children and young women. The careless inebriation of this bacchanal is expressed by a thicker touch that conveys the unwieldy weight of the drinkers' gait.
Bulgaria 1978 The Head of Silenus, a part of a vase
Greece 1976 Ring seal stone - Silenus in sardonyx, Hellenistic period
The Silenus is stretched on a leather bag, covered with a lion's skin. The fingers of his left hand are disposed, as if he wanted to crack them.
Ajman 1972 Silenus playing a lyre, detail of a fresco from the Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii, c. 50 BC
Manama 1972 The Drunken Silenus, by Rubens 1616-17 Alte Pinakothek, Munich
Haute Volta 1977 The Drunken Silenus, by Rubens 1616-17 Alte Pinakothek, Munich
Gambia 2000 The Drunken Silenus, by Anthony Van Dyck 1619/20 in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden
Ajman 1972 Bronze statue of Silenus, from Herculaneum from one end of the pool of Villa dei Papiri