Satyr playing the sistrum

The overdoor Satyr playing the sistrum – woven in wool and silk based on the models of Fedele Fischetti (Naples, 1732 - 1792) – presents a scene set in a forest in which two satyrs (or fauns) are intent on playing: the one on the left is busy playing the syrinx, while the other shakes the sistrum and dances with a little dog.

This wind instrument, better known as the pan flute and made up of one or more pipes tied together, was used by the populations of ancient Greece. Its name is a tribute to Syrinx, an Arcadian nymph who, to escape the desire of the god Pan, turned into a reed. The sistrum, also very widespread in ancient Greece, is a musical instrument coming from ancient Egypt and considered sacred to the goddess Isis. Just like the syrinx, it was often played by satyrs.

With their sometimes-lascivious behavior, devoted to wine and other entertainment, the satyrs (or fauns) belong to the court of the gods Pan and Dionysus. They are generally represented as bearded human beings, but with ears, tail, and horns, as well as with equine or goat legs.

According to literary tradition, these cute beings, emblems of fertility and the vital force of nature, cheered up all the creatures of the woods with the sound of the sistrum and flute.