‘… his veins swollen as ever with yesterday’s wine nearby lay the garlands fallen just now from his head, and his weighty bowl held up by its well worn handle.’
Ribera was well known for his depiction of twisted and bizarre images that placed emphasis on sagging flesh and ageing bodies. Here he represents Silenus, the oldest and wisest follower of Dionysus, who was notorious for his baldness, his fat, thick lips, squat nose and bloated body. Fond of sleep, wine and music, his drunken nature requires him to be supported with the assistance of satyrs or a donkey. In Ribera’s depiction, Pan is crowning Silenus for his poetic abilities, which were known to incite fauns and wilds beasts to move in dance.
