Statue of an actor as Papposilen

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Presentation of the statue in the Altes Museum

The statue of an actor as a Papposilen is one of the showpieces of the Antikensammlung Berlin . The life-size statue of marble is dated to the early second century.

The upright standing statue shows a bearded and wild-haired stocky man, whose wild impression is underlined by the tight-fitting, sheepskin-made garment. The individual strands of sheep hair are carefully worked out. The lowered and slightly bent arm holds an object in the hand. The right arm has been supplemented and was originally possibly raised above the head. The ivy wreath has also been largely replaced. The face is mask-like without the sitter wearing a mask. The eyes are disproportionate, the mouth open like a theater mask. The animal ears are not recognizable under the many hairs. Besides the exposed parts of the face, the hands and feet are the only hairless parts of the body. The feet are clad with tied shoes. A coat is wrapped around the waist and covers the nakedness in an elegant and simple way.

The interpretation of the statue as an actor disguised as a Papposil is largely accepted. Papposilene are the oldest and most calm of the satyrs in the retinue of the god Dionysus , within whose cult the drama was developed. The connection between acting and the Dionysian cult is accordingly close in antiquity . In keeping with the dignity of his age, the Papposil is shown with covered nakedness and not, like satyrs, often ithyphallically . In the classical Greek satyr game , the Papposilenians were generally depicted dressed in sheepskin. The statue may be a copy from the early 2nd century, based on a model from the classical period. In this case, the original was probably the statue that a victorious Choregos had donated for a victory in a satyr game. It is the only known statue of this type.

The statue was found in Rome in 1739 on the northwest slope of the Quirinal behind the Palazzo Gentili. In 1866 it came from the Gentili Collection to the Berlin Collection of Antiquities, where it was given inventory number Sk 278. The 168 centimeter high sculpture was not on view in the permanent exhibition for a long time. It was only restored as part of the exhibition " The Return of the Gods - Berlin's Hidden Olympus " and has been in the permanent exhibition in the Altes Museum since 2011 .

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