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.
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.
Antiquities; Christie's, New York, 4 June 2015, lot 83.
UAE private collection, acquired from the above sale.

Special notice

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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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