In one scene, a Nereid reclines atop a Sea Panther and relieves their thirst, poised with a vessel in one hand and a drinking platter in the other. Nereids are sea nymphs who appear in the form of scantily clad or nude women. They are traditionally depicted as playful and helpful creatures who ride marine animals as part of the retinue of the sea gods Neptune and Venus. The image presented here is directly inspired by a fresco from the Villa Arianna at Stabiae, dating to the first century BCE.

In another scene, a partially draped woman embraces a hybrid bull and water creature. The amorous relationship between a bull and a woman is a motif that hearkens back to the rape of Europa, where Jupiter transforms into a bull and carries the maiden Europa into the sea.  However, this bull is traditionally white and is not a hybrid.  In this scene by Maestri, the grey creature has the head and horns of a bull, but a serpentine tail and webbed feet. In this way, it is evocative of the Ophiotaurus, a terrible serpent-bull hybrid from Ovid’s Fasti.

The next scene depicts a struggle between a male and female figure. With an ivy-wreath crowning her head, the woman spurns the advances of the man with the prod of her thyrsus (foliate rod). Such features identify her as a maenad or bacchante, a female follower of the wine-god Dionysus. Maenads were known for their participation in the frenzied and ecstatic worship of the Dionysiac cult. This could include, as with the case of the impious Orpheus, tearing the limbs of men apart.

Another scene represents two whimsical figures who, clothed in flowing and translucent drapery, intertwine their hands as they dance. They are likely Muses, the goddesses of music, song and dance who were sometimes depicted with their heads covered, as is the case with the figure on the left.

In the final scene, a male and female figure hold hands, gazing into each other’s eyes. The male on the right, draped in a green garment and fur sash, resembles Apollo; he is crowned with laurel, a plant which came to be associated with the god after his pursuit of Daphne, a nymph who is transformed into a laurel tree. In his left hand, he holds a rod that is decorated with intertwining blue coils. This bears a similarity to the rod of Asclepius, who, as the god of medicine and son of Apollo, carries a staff that is entwined by a single serpent. However, it could also be a version of Hermes’ caduceus, a staff comprised of two intertwining serpents underneath a pair of wings. On the left, the female is draped in a blue garment that falls from her raised right arm and cascades down to cover her legs. A delicate chain wraps around her naked torso from her shoulder to abdomen. This could make her Andromeda, a princess who is chained to a rock and saved by Perseus, however Andromeda has little connection to Apollo. She could also be a muse of Apollo who is the natural companion to the god of poetry and music.

Auction Details

Thursday 19 June, 10.30am BST
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

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Please note that there will be no viewing available at Donnington Priory for this auction. Viewing is online only, however all items are comprehensively described and illustrated. Condition reports are available on request if not already provided.