MARBLE STATUARY COMPOSITION OF TIPSY DIONYSUS WITH A SATYR, 30х60х51 cm dimensions, inv.no. 278/R

MARBLE STATUARY COMPOSITION OF TIPSY DIONYSUS WITH A SATYR, 30х60х51 cm dimensions, inv.no. 278/R

From the entire composition, there have been preserved pedestal of rectangular shape with two pairs of human feet (whose heels and big toe tips are broken), fragments of trees, ram’s head and four-legged animal paws (probably panther). Right foot of the first figure is along the pedestal left edge, while the left foot is on the shallow pedestal in the middle. Right foot of the second figure is placed on a rock at the left upper part of the pedestal, while the left foot rests on the ram’s head. By foot position it can be easily concluded that the second figure stood directly behind the first figure, which completely resembles the scene from the myth of Dionysus, where the tipsy god is held by some of his followers – a satyr, silen, maenad or Ariadne. Based on the existing analogies, it is clear that this is a scene where the tipsy Dionysus is held by the satyr, but it is necessary to point out that in sculptural composition from Mediana a certain iconographic mistake occurred so that, as usual, the god Dionysus’s foot rests on the ram’s head, in the sculptural group from Mediana the satyr’s foot is laid on the animal’s head instead. Extremely careful modeling and good-quality sculptured details indicate high quality of the statuary composition. Due to the lack of details, the composition has to be dated broadly to the period between 2nd and 4th century.

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