The Example Family Art Collection
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Dionysus
God of the vine
Roman, about AD 40-60
God of the vine
Roman, about AD 40-60
About the subject:
Dionysus, also commonly known by his Roman name Bacchus, was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, and of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology.
Revered for feats including the bestowal upon Midas of his eponymous Touch, Dionysus is presented as the semi-divine son of Zeus and the mortal Semele, and as the fully divine son of Zeus and Persephone or Demeter. Scholars have long suspected that the god known as Dionysus is in fact a fusion of a local Greek nature god, and another more potent god imported rather late in Greek pre-history from Phrygia (the central area of modern day Turkey) or Thrace.
Dionysus, also commonly known by his Roman name Bacchus, was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, and of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology.
Revered for feats including the bestowal upon Midas of his eponymous Touch, Dionysus is presented as the semi-divine son of Zeus and the mortal Semele, and as the fully divine son of Zeus and Persephone or Demeter. Scholars have long suspected that the god known as Dionysus is in fact a fusion of a local Greek nature god, and another more potent god imported rather late in Greek pre-history from Phrygia (the central area of modern day Turkey) or Thrace.
About the work:
This sculpture is a copy of a Greek original of about 325 BC and is said to have been found at Posilipo, Campania, Italy.
Dionysus is heavily draped, and his hair bound with an ivy wreath. His beard is long, recalling Archaic and early Classical images of the god. Ironically, this rather sober statue type acquired the nickname Sardanapallos in modern times, after a mythological Assyrian king who was notorious for his effeminate and depraved lifestyle. The figure probably originally held a thyrsos in the raised right hand.
Dionysus was often represented in this way in the Roman period, and many versions of the figure exist. The god was popular not only because of his association with wine and good living, but also because his cult involved the participation of his revellers, both mythological and human. His entourage of satyrs and maenads provided a vast repertoire of subjects for artists, and their often wild antics made superb subjects for decorative reliefs, wall paintings, vessels and sculpture. This statue may seem restrained, but multiple copies of a popular relief sculpture exist with a figure of the same type, but drunk and propped up by a satyr.
During the fourth century BC, Dionysus' image underwent a radical change, and sculptors created a youthful and effeminate statue type. The Sardanapollos type, also created in the fourth century, was obviously an exception. The Romans elaborated the type further, often showing the god with subsidiary figures.
This sculpture is a copy of a Greek original of about 325 BC and is said to have been found at Posilipo, Campania, Italy.
Dionysus is heavily draped, and his hair bound with an ivy wreath. His beard is long, recalling Archaic and early Classical images of the god. Ironically, this rather sober statue type acquired the nickname Sardanapallos in modern times, after a mythological Assyrian king who was notorious for his effeminate and depraved lifestyle. The figure probably originally held a thyrsos in the raised right hand.
Dionysus was often represented in this way in the Roman period, and many versions of the figure exist. The god was popular not only because of his association with wine and good living, but also because his cult involved the participation of his revellers, both mythological and human. His entourage of satyrs and maenads provided a vast repertoire of subjects for artists, and their often wild antics made superb subjects for decorative reliefs, wall paintings, vessels and sculpture. This statue may seem restrained, but multiple copies of a popular relief sculpture exist with a figure of the same type, but drunk and propped up by a satyr.
During the fourth century BC, Dionysus' image underwent a radical change, and sculptors created a youthful and effeminate statue type. The Sardanapollos type, also created in the fourth century, was obviously an exception. The Romans elaborated the type further, often showing the god with subsidiary figures.
Details:
Accession number: 044-561 Provenance: Castellani Collection (1893-1929), British Museum (1929-2010), Example family Art Collection (2010-)
Medium: The statue was carved out of one large block of Pentelic marble, except for the missing right arm, which was made separately and attached
Height: 7' 2"
Accession number: 044-561 Provenance: Castellani Collection (1893-1929), British Museum (1929-2010), Example family Art Collection (2010-)
Medium: The statue was carved out of one large block of Pentelic marble, except for the missing right arm, which was made separately and attached
Height: 7' 2"
Literature:
Cook, B.F. The Elgin Marbles, 2nd edition (London, The British Museum Press, 1997)
Walker, S. Roman art (London, 1991)
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Cook, B.F. The Elgin Marbles, 2nd edition (London, The British Museum Press, 1997)
Walker, S. Roman art (London, 1991)
.
