Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity
Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus - Art for Eternity

Roman Marble Statue of a Youthful Bacchus

9411

$64,500.00
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Roman Imperial, 1st century A.D. or slightly later

This finely carved Roman marble depicts a youthful Bacchus (Dionysos), god of wine and abundance, standing in a relaxed contrapposto with weight on the left leg and the right slightly flexed and trailing. The nude figure wears a long goatskin draped over the shoulders and enveloping the back to knee level; at the front the skin is laden with grapes and vine leaves, which the boy clutches against his torso. A tree-trunk support at the left leg is enlivened by a snake curving up its face — a deliberate carved reptile, not a tether — while the back of the goatskin terminates in a beautifully rendered goat's head and hoof, a calligraphic detail scarcely visible in the work's original ancient setting.

The combination of grapes, animal skin, and serpent securely identifies the figure as Bacchus rather than one of the Seasons or Pan, drawing on a strong Hellenistic-into-Roman tradition of the youthful Dionysos carrying grapes within his animal-skin garment. The distinctive snake and the "ghost-like" goat's head at the back set this statue apart from the more generic, decorative versions of the type.

Authentication:
Accompanied by a 2024 scholarly authentication letter from Dr. Carlos A. Picón, former Curator-in-Charge (1990–2017) of the Department of Greek and Roman Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, who assigns the work to the first century A.D. or slightly later. (available on request)

Published: Bonhams London, Antiquities Sale, 28 April 2010, lot 136;  Christie's New York, Antiquities Sale, 9 June 2011, lot 148The statue is set on an integral oval base. It has been mended from two piece at the knees with an iron with restoration over the break line and weathered surface patina.

Size 29½ in (74.3cm) high.

Provenance: London Art market 2010, acquired by the previous owner in Buenos Aires in the early 1970s.

Every object is guaranteed authentic and as described, and has been legally acquired and imported in accordance with U.S. and applicable foreign regulations on the movement and sale of antiquities. A signed certificate of authenticity with a description and photograph accompanies this object. Any restoration is described on the invoice.

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