Cleveland Museum of Art

Statuette of Dionysos

Date: 50 BCE–50 CE
Medium: bronze and silver and traces of gilding, hollow cast
Culture: Italy, Roman
Department: Greek and Roman Art
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID: 159298

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

This bronze figure of Dionysos, the god of wine, theater, and the mysteries, is presented in a style recalling Archaic Greek art, most noticeably in his stiff pose and trimmed beard. The more naturalistic folds of his garment speak to a later date, in the Roman period. The disk attached at the top of the head suggests that this figure was once part of an ornate piece of furniture, perhaps a stand or support. In his right hand, the god likely held a kantharos or other attribute. He would have been further embellished with inlaid copper (lips), silver (whites of eyes), and perhaps gilding (garment). Over his long, thin garment, Dionysos wears an animal skin, fastened on his left shoulder.

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