Rare Late 19th Century Vienna Bronze of the Greek Figure of Pan Wax Seal

A beautiful late 19th century Vienna bronze wax seal of the whimsical Greek god pan. The figure pan is still retaining some his original colors such as the green on the leaves and his hairy legs and cloven hoofs still have some brown to them. The figure is solid bronze with what appears to be a nickel base mounted to the piece so seals could be attached. Pan Part man and part goat, Pan was the god of wild groves, shepherds, and flocks. Born in Arcadia to Hermes and a Dryad, Pan was a precocious child whose goat’s feet and horned head delighted gods, but startled mortals. Nymphs weren’t too happy with his looks either and, as much as Pan loved them, they almost never loved him back. One of them, Syrinx, chose to be transformed into marsh reeds to save herself from Pan’s advances. Pan cut the reeds and joined them side by side in decreasing order, thus creating the very first set of panpipes. Ever since then, he was rarely seen without this instrument. Family Pan’s parentage is a bit ambiguous, but, according to most sources, he was the son of Hermes and a Dryad, whether Dryope (the daughter of the Arcadian hero Dryops) or Penelope of Mantineia. Possibly due to a name-confusion error, even early authors sometimes make him the son of Odysseus’ wife, typically keeping Hermes as his father, but sometimes swapping him for Apollo. According to the oddest one of these stories, Pan didn’t have a divine parent at all, but was, in fact, the fruit of Penelope’s affair with all of her 108 suitors! Pan’s Role Pan was born a mature child in Arcadia; his distinct appearance (half goat, half man) delighted the hearts of all gods, which is why they named him “Pan” (meaning “all”). In addition, Pan’s name is the basis from which the word panic is ultimately derived. (cc: greekmythology) Approx. Dimensions: Height: 3" Width: 1" Condition: Item is in great age related condition. Please see all photos for complete description. All CA Residents must pay CA Sales Tax LOC. F