The March of the Silenus by Rubens
Silenus (myth)
In Greek mythology, Silenus was a satyr and the foster-father of Bacchus. He was fond of music and was a prophet, but was lazy and addicted to drunkenness. He is represented as a jovial old man with a pug nose and a bald head. An antique group now at Munich represents him as crowned with ivy and holding the infant Bacchus in his arms. A painting by Rubens, entitled Silenus and Satyrs, represents Silenus intoxicated, leading a train of satyrs and bacchantes, among whom are a tiger and two goats. Silenus himself is supported by a satyr and a black man.
