Exhibited Roman Bone Plaque - Bacchus, ex-Sotheby's

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Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Feb 13, 2020

Set Reminder 2020-02-13 10:00:00 2020-02-13 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-4848
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• Lot Description
  Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 3rd century CE. A finely carved fragment depicting a seated satyr holding a parapetasma (overhead drape), wearing a himation (mantle) over his lap and a goatskin around his neck. Further additional details are skillfully represented, such as a lagobolon (hunting stick), a bundle of fruit, and a krater with gadroons and a wreath. Next to the satyr, a kneeling maenad is clad in a long chiton (drape) of the Doric type, exposing her left arm. The two figures are most likely turning their attention to Bacchus, god of wine and fertility, and are part of a larger Bacchic scene. Size: 4.05" W x 3.95" H (10.8 cm x 10 cm); 4.95" H (12.6 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  In Greek and Roman mythology, the terms 'satyr' and 'faun' are generally used interchangeably and originally referred to rustic demon spirits of the countryside and woods. In Greek art satyrs were represented as a man with the ears and tail of a horse; Roman depictions often show fauns with the ears, horns, legs and tail of a goat. They were both close companions of Dionysus and Bacchus respectively, as were maenads, participants in the drunken revelry that characterized the cult.According to Graeco-Roman mythology, maenads were aristocratic females inspired to ritual frenzy by Dionysus/Bacchus, and their name derives from the Greek meaning 'raving ones'. They took part in rituals in the Greek mountains in mid winter every two years. They are the subject of the Bacchae written by the Athenian playwright Euripides in the fifth century BC but first appear in Homer's Iliad. They were the most significant members of Dionysus' retinue and were incorporated into Roman myth as Bacchantes, companions of Bacchus. Taking its proportions into account, it is perhaps more likely that the present plaque in fact formed part of a larger diptych, with additional scenes above or below this 'register'. These items were separated vertically by a hinge and contained wax tablets, used to take notes with a pointed stylus. Their outer covers tend to be carved in low relief. As such, they functioned as luxury commemorative items that were the preserve of the most prosperous and senior members of the Roman aristocracy. Some of the best known of these are the consular diptychs, which were produced to commemorate the election of consuls, and these continued to be produced in the eastern empire after the fall of the west. An interesting example is the Diptych of Probianus, consul of Rome, produced at the end of the fourth or early fifth century. This belongs to the collection of the Staatsbibliothek in Berlin (Inv. fol. 323). Diptychs also represent imperial personages and the most celebrated of these is the Barberini Diptych, thought to depict emperor Justinian in the Louvre (Inv. OA 9063; second quarter of the sixth century AD)Mythological depictions on carved relief plaques are rare, especially with this subject matter, in the Roman period. Some of the best-known mythological representations that are described as plaques are displayed in the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore and depict the rape of Ganymede (Inv. 71.596; third to fourth century AD) and Europa on the bull (Inv. 593; fourth to fifth century AD). An unusual example depicting a satyr and a maenad on an ivory relief plaque is displayed in the Romisch-Germanisches Museum, Cologne (third century AD).
  
  Exhibited: The Detroit Institute of Art, 1973-2003.
  
  For the Satyr in Graeco-Roman mythology, R.A.S. Seaford, 'Satyrs', in S. Hornblower and A. Spawforth, The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization (Oxford-New York, 1998), pp. 638-639.
  
  The Graeco-Roman tradition of maenads in mythology is presented by J.N. Bremmer, 'Maenads', in S. Hornblower and A. Spawforth, The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization (Oxford-New York, 1998), p. 439.
  
  For the Barberini Diptych, J.D. Breckenridge, '˜Diptych leaf with Justinian as Defender of the Faith', in K. Weitzmann, ed., Age of Spirituality: Late Antique and Early Christian Art, Third to Seventh Century (New York, New Haven, 1979), pp. 33-35, no. 28.
  
  The diptychs in the Walters Art Museum are presented by S.R. Zwirn, 'Plaque with Europa on the bull' and 'Plaque with rape of Ganymede' in K. Weitzmann, ed., Age of Spirituality: Late Antique and Early Christian Art, Third to Seventh Century (New York, New Haven, 1979), pp. 168-170, nos 147 and 148.
  
  Provenance: private Connecticut, USA collection; ex-private collection, Massachusetts, USA; ex-Sotheby’s, New York, USA, December 12, 2013, lot 53; ex Rudolf Adelbert Meyer-Riefstahl (1880-1936), Paris, the plaster backing inscribed RIEFSTAHL in pencil and by descent to his son Rudolf Meyer Riefstahl (1929-2011)
  
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  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
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  #152763

  Condition

  With an added 19th or early 20th c. plaster backing; the bone is original. Inscribed in small letters on the bottom of the plaster is "RIEFSTAHL" (see provenance). This is a fragment from a larger plaque, repaired across its lower center and with some tiny chips and scratches, but the central figure of Dionysus is very well preserved. Patina and deposits are present on the surface.
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