CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN MARBLE TORSO OF DIONYSUS
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
The youthful god depicted nude, originally standing in contrapposto with his weight on his right leg, the left leg slightly advanced, his well-modeled shoulders gently sloping, his arms pulled back, his lithe torso with fleshy pectorals and pronounced iliac crests, two long serpentine tendrils of hair falling on his left shoulder, his buttocks well defined, a support partially preserved along his proper left thigh
23 7/8 in. (60.7 cm.) high

Provenance

Sir Francis Sacheverell Darwin (1786-1859), Syndope Hall, Two Dales, Matlock, Derbyshire; thence by descent.
U.K. Art Market, acquired from the above.
with Jean-David Cahn, Basel, 2003.

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Lot Essay

This example of the youthful Dionysus is of the "Richelieu type," which derives its name from a statue of the god formerly in collection of the French cardinal, now in the Louvre (see nos. 122e-f and 123a-c in C. Gasparri, "Dionysos," in LIMC, vol. III). In antiquity, the god of wine would most likely have been depicted with a full wreath of vines and berries in his luxurious curls, supported by a rod entwined with grapes and vines, and holding a characteristic attribute such as a thyrsus or oinochoe.

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