Fine Roman Marble Herm Bust of Bacchus / Dionysos

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Antiquities from Egypt, Greece, Italy, Asia

By Artemis Gallery

Oct 25, 2018

Set Reminder 2018-10-25 11:00:00 2018-10-25 11:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Antiquities from Egypt, Greece, Italy, Asia https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/antiquities-from-egypt-greece-italy-asia-3538
Featuring Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, plus Asian art from Central and Far East. If you love the classics, this is the sale for you. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Rome, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 2nd century CE. A carved marble herm depicting the bearded Olympian god Bacchus (Greek Dionysos or Dionysus) - god of wine, pleasure, ritual madness, ecstasy, and theatre. This piece happens to be an early portrayal of Bacchus, as it shows him with a full beard. In the 2nd century CE, Roman artists started depicting him as a youth, with a smooth face. The cult of Bacchus was hugely popular, signifying the freedom created by wine, music, and ecstatic dance. Romans knew how to party! An outstanding example with skillfully delineated facial features including his wavy beard and mustache, recessed eyes (once inlaid), arched brows meeting at the bridge of his aquiline nose, and gently smiling lips. He wears a wreath in this long coiffure, and the verso is flat. Size: 5.75" H (14.6 cm); 7.625" H (19.4 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  Herm or herma are sculptures with a head, sometimes a torso, and male genitals carved at the appropriate height. They are thought to derive from the ancient Greek practice of worshipping divinities that were in the form of cairns or columns of stone or wood. These later evolved into adding a head and phallus to the column. Many herma are of Hermes himself, but others - both gods and real figures like Socrates and Plato - are known. Statues like this one were apotropaic and kept in many places - at crossroads, in temples, in public places, and in homes.
  
  Compare with a similar, though somewhat larger example, at the Penn Museum, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Object Number - MS3475). See https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/86206
  
  Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private Queensland, Australia collection, acquired in the early 20th century by the present owner's grandfather-in-law, Domenico Odino
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #130842

  Condition

  Old losses to end of beard and lower end of piece. Normal surface wear with some abraded areas commensurate with age. Covered with root marks.
• Shipping Info

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