Intaglio with the portrait of Silenus from Galilee and the composition of the “inverted/summary faces” in the Greco-Roman period
Intaglio with the portrait of Silenus from Galilee and the composition of the “inverted/summary faces” in the Greco-Roman period

Summary/Abstract: A Persian-Early Hellenistic glass intaglio with the portrait of Silenus was found in Galilee some years ago. Except for the testimony of the spread of Dionysiac cults in the Syro-Palaestinian region during such an early period, the occasional finding would not bear so much meaning if not for the unique iconographical features of the Silenus’s portrait. When turned upside down, the face of the apathetic, passionless Silenus transforms into the portrait of the evil face, supposedly of a Cyclop Polythemus or satyr's mask (two interchangeable faces). The composition of the “inverted faces” might be considered one of the types of more developed synthetic compositions comprised of several faces or creatures and usually applied on the gems (known as janiform or grylloi/baskania). Many remote parallels were mentioned in these rows of examples. The “inverted faces” (bes or pazuzu) are rarer, but they were still applied to some Persian and Hellenistic coins and gems, which were often interconnected iconographically. Most notable is the Roman red glass gem in the British Museum collection, which is decorated with two “inverted faces”: it is incredibly close by its iconography to the gem under consideration. In addition, a unique Roman ceramic beaker from the Budapest History Museum and the Roman glass flask from the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv adorned with interchangeable faces were mentioned and interpreted. In my opinion, the composition with “inverted/summary faces” is highly underestimated in the history of Classical art and might be detected in a broader range of samples if only it was taken into consideration (usually, the reversibility of the faces remains unnoticed).

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