Caryatids and Silenus
2007 © Maxim Tabachnik
The Maritime TheatreExit of the Subterranean PassageTemple Façade of the Piazza d’OroMaritime TheatreCanopus Pool ComplexCaryatids and SilenusCircular Temple RuinModel of Hadrian’s VillaCoffered Ceiling Panel

Caryatids and Silenus

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These statues (2nd c.) once adorned the Canopus, a canal and garden evoking the Nile. The caryatids, inspired by the Erechtheion of Athens, reflect Hadrian’s philhellenism, while the Silenus with fruit basket symbolizes fertility. Together they evoke the emperor’s dream of a cultured empire fused through beauty, myth, and memory.