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Fresco Depicting a Woman (Maenad?) Holding a Dish; Peacock and Fruit Below

Creator

Unknown All works by this person →More on Getty ULAN

Date: A.D. 1–79
Medium: Fresco
Culture: Roman
Department: Paintings
Institution: Getty Museum
Object ID: 58207c6b-385c-475b-afcc-e404da5ddde4

From the Getty Museum record

One of two colorful fresco fragments (see also [83.AG.222.2](http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/131809/unknown-maker-fresco-fragments-depicting-an-old-silenos-with-kantharos-and-thyrsos-roman-1st-century/)) that once decorated the same wall. A draped female figure holds a metal dish, standing within an arbor. In keeping with the theme of the two frescoes, she may be identified as a maenad—a follower of the wine god Bacchus. In a separate scene underneath her are pieces of fruit on either side of a peacock, an exotic bird kept in the gardens of wealthy Romans. The fruit includes a bunch of grapes and pomegranates—symbols of fertility and rebirth. The bright red border framing both the figure and the scene below has a rectangular panel with stucco imitation (white silhouettes on a blue background) inserted along the top. Parts of the white background of the wall are visible. This fresco likely decorated a room in a Roman villa.

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