CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.

Dionysus is depicted nude and muscular, standing with weight on his straight left leg. The remains of serpentine tendrils fall onto his well-defined shoulders, and the traces of a thyrsus are visible to his right. He rests his bent left arm on the tree-trunk support, which displays a cluster of grapes, further supporting his identity as the god of wine and revelry. This sculpture is a variation of the so-called “Cyrene Type,” named for an example found in the Temple of Dionysos in that city (see no. 119 in C. Gaspari, “Dionysos,” in LIMC, vol. III).