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Marble statuette of Dionysos

early 3rd century BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 163
The god wears Thracian boots, a short chiton, a belted panther skin, and a goatskin worn like a cape, with the forelegs of the goat wrapped around his arms. He can perhaps be identified as Dionysos Melanaigis (of the Black Goatskin), whose cult was introduced into Attica from Boeotia. Pausanias (II.35.1), second century A.D. author of a guide to Greece, mentions a temple to Dionysos Melanaigis in Methana on the Saronic Gulf and states that a music competition was held there in the god's honor every year and that prizes were awarded for swimming races and boat races.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Marble statuette of Dionysos
  • Period: Early Hellenistic
  • Date: early 3rd century BCE
  • Culture: Greek
  • Medium: Marble
  • Dimensions: H. 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm)
  • Classification: Stone Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1959
  • Object Number: 59.11.2
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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