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Dionysus and Silenus

Related Images

  • Fig 1: Silenus and the child Dionysus, Roman copy of the original Hellenistic, Marble - [Wikimedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silenus#/media/File:Sileno_del_100-150_con_testa_di_et%C3%A0_flavia,_da_originali_del_primo_ellenismo_della_cerchia_di_lisisppo.JPG)
  • Fig 2: Silenus and the infant Dionysus, Roman copy of the original early Hellenistic, Marble - Louvre Museum, via [University of Cambridge](https://museum.classics.cam.ac.uk/collections/casts/silenus-and-infant-dionysos)

Dionysus, son of Zeus, was the famous god of wine. Silenus was his companion and tutor. Silenus, son of the god Panas or Hermes and made of blood drops from Uranus, was known for his love of wine, as well as for his wisdom.

The addition of the silver lid leads us to believe that its Dutch owner wanted to use it as a decanter for wine. Transformations in appearance and functionality were common practice. When exotic objects such as these arrived in Europe, people were sometimes confused about their purpose, so they used them as they saw fit: in this case, to drink wine - at least, that is what Dionysus and Silenus suggest.Sources used include: “Ancient Greek Mythology”; the “Museum of Classical Archaeology Databases” at the University of Cambridge; Jörg, C. J. A. Fine & curious: Japanese export porcelain in Dutch collections. Amsterdam: Hotei publishing, 2003. p. 69; and Graves, Robert. The Greek Myths. United Kingdom: Penguin, 64, 2011.

Let us now turn our attention to the body of the ewer itself.