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Lot Essay
Rev. Walter Stevenson Halliday (1794–1872) was an English clergyman, antiquarian, and travel diarist, best known for his contributions to ecclesiastical history and his keen interest in classical antiquities. Born into a genteel family in Shropshire, Halliday later settled at Standerwick House in Somerset, where he served as rector of the parish church for much of his life. He undertook his Grand Tour from 1814 to 1816, a formative journey through France, Switzerland, and Italy shortly after the Napoleonic Wars.
Halliday acquired the Château des Clées in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland, around 1831. At that time, the medieval fortress had fallen into disrepair and was considered a romantic ruin, which he restored in the Gothic revival style.
Following Halliday's tenure, the château changed hands several times. In 1883, it was purchased by the Pellis dit Conod family, natives of Les Clées. Later in 1960, ownership passed to the Desbaillets family from Lausanne.
Typically depicted in dynamic, ecstatic poses, maenads—female followers of Bacchus (Dionysus)—are shown with flowing drapery, disheveled hair, and attributes such as thyrsoi, tambourines, or animal skins, emphasizing their frenzied participation in Bacchic rites. The current example is shown wearing a wreath of ivy leaves with clusters of berries. Her hair is pulled back and tied, with two loose locks of hair curving down against the back of her neck, with a large vine leaf behind the proper left ear. The head is emphatically turned, which perhaps suggests that the maenad was depicted dancing. For a similar head see the example in the Antikenmuseum der Universität in Leipzig, inv. no. 99.021 (Arachne database no. 1115390).
Halliday acquired the Château des Clées in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland, around 1831. At that time, the medieval fortress had fallen into disrepair and was considered a romantic ruin, which he restored in the Gothic revival style.
Following Halliday's tenure, the château changed hands several times. In 1883, it was purchased by the Pellis dit Conod family, natives of Les Clées. Later in 1960, ownership passed to the Desbaillets family from Lausanne.
Typically depicted in dynamic, ecstatic poses, maenads—female followers of Bacchus (Dionysus)—are shown with flowing drapery, disheveled hair, and attributes such as thyrsoi, tambourines, or animal skins, emphasizing their frenzied participation in Bacchic rites. The current example is shown wearing a wreath of ivy leaves with clusters of berries. Her hair is pulled back and tied, with two loose locks of hair curving down against the back of her neck, with a large vine leaf behind the proper left ear. The head is emphatically turned, which perhaps suggests that the maenad was depicted dancing. For a similar head see the example in the Antikenmuseum der Universität in Leipzig, inv. no. 99.021 (Arachne database no. 1115390).