Statue of Dionysos leaning on a female figure ("Hope Dionysos")
Dionysos, god of wine and divine intoxication, wears a panther skin over his short chiton and his high sandals with animal heads on the overhanging skin flaps. He stands beside an archaistic female image whose pose and dress imitate those of Greek statues carved in the sixth century B.C. It is difficult to know whether the original Greek bronze statue of Dionysos, of which this is a copy, included the female figure. Supports in the form of pillars, herms, and small statues were not uncommon in Classical art, but this figure may have been added to support the outstretched arm and may represent Spes, a Roman personification of Hope, who was commonly shown as an archaistic maiden.
Artwork Details
- Title: Statue of Dionysos leaning on a female figure ("Hope Dionysos")
- Artist: Restored by Pacetti, Vincenzo
- Period: Augustan or Julio-Claudian
- Date: 27 BCE–68 CE
- Culture: Roman
- Medium: Marble
- Dimensions: H. 82 3/4 in. (210.2 cm)
- Classification: Stone Sculpture
- Credit Line: Gift of The Frederick W. Richmond Foundation, Judy and Michael Steinhardt, and Mr. and Mrs. A. Alfred Taubman, 1990
The cleaning and restoration of this sculpture was made possible by a generous grant from the Edward John Noble Foundation, Inc - Object Number: 1990.247
- Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art
Audio
1248. Statue of Dionysos leaning on a female figure ("Hope Dionysos"), Part 1
[MUSIC PLAYS]
Here Dionysos, god of wine, wears his characteristic panther skin over a short chiton. Notice his sandals, and the animal heads on their overhanging flaps. This magnificent marble statue, also known as the Hope Dionysos, dates to the Augustan or Julio-Claudian period, between 27 B.C. and 68 A.D. However, the Roman sculptor, who made this statue, copied it after a fourth-century Greek sculpture in bronze.
Here, Dionysos stands beside a female figure, whose dress and pose imitate those of Greek statues carved in the sixth century B.C. In other words, she is rendered in archaistic style. But, why might a sculptor in the Roman period deliberately carve such an image? Perhaps, the archaistic pose and dress lend the small statue a sense of antiquity and venerability. It’s been suggested that this figure represents Spes, a Roman personification of Hope. Spes is commonly shown as an archaistic maiden.
Many parts of the Dionysos and archaistic maiden were restored sometime in the eighteenth century. And shortly thereafter, Scot Thomas Hope acquired the statue that now bears his name. Hope’s collection of antiquities was one of the finest in eighteenth-century Europe.
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