There were no Dionysian sarcophagi in the Museo Nazionale Romano, however there was an abundance of other mediums with Dionysian themes. These mostly included wall paintings, funerary altars and bases, as well as mosaics. Many of these artifacts came from Pompeii or Herculanum and date to around the same time of the figures I found in Naples.
Wall Paintings
1.) Infancy and Education of Dionysus, from Ercolano, 45-79 AD. Sylanus is holding the baby Dionysus up to a grape (held by a Maenad) Hermes sits to the right with a Cithara. Pan and 2 Satyrs are present, as well as a donkey and panther.
2.) Dionysus and Ariadne, from Pompeii, 45-79 AD. This painting shows Dionysus finding Ariadne on the island of Naxos, sleeping. He is accompanied by Cupid, Satyrs, probably Pan, and Silenus. There are also Maenads, or cult followers in the distant background.
3.) Hermaphroditus and Silenus, from Pompeii, 45-79 AD. This scene displays Hermaphroditus (offspring of Hermes and Aphrodite who becomes a hermaphrodite) repulsing the approach of Silenus (Dionysus’ teacher). This was a common theme in Roman painting.
4.) Satyr and Maenad, 45-79 AD, Pompeii. Satyr and Maenad dancing, both are associated with Dionysus as members of his cult.
While the last two paintings did not have scenes with ‘Dionysus in them they involved his associates, a similar theme I found in Naples, which would make sense as these paintings are from that time and place. The emphasis on Dionysian iconography seems to be an evident theme in any medium of this artwork.
Funeral Altar/Base
1.) Funeral altar with Maenads and Muses. 1st Century B.C.
2.)Base with Maenads. Maenads shown dancing around the entire base.
Statues of Dionysus
1.) Statue of Dionysus, 2nd. Cent. AD Young looking, vines in hair, standing in a feminine pose, wearing a wild cloak.
2.) Statue of Dionysus, 117-138 AD, Tivoli, same as above although he does not have grape vines in his hair and it is shorter, he does not look as feminine, but still very young.
3.) Bronze Statue of Dionysus, 117-138AD, Rome, Tevere
Long hair with grape vines, holds a staff, still feminine looking but less so than the first statue.
4.) Statue of Dionysus-Sardanapalos, 117-138 AD. Head restored, from the Appian Way, Castle Gandolgo. This statue is extremely different from the past examples, although they were all made around the same time. He is very large, much older looking, long hair, wears a chiton, he gives the image of a god-like grandfather figure instead of a feminine boy. This interpretation of Dionysus comes from the version of the god Dionysus-Sobazius, from Asia Minor. He is a Dionysus in mature age with curly hair, a long bears, in a chiton. It is an oriental style, the image of the god looks very similar to the sarcophagus (1) in Naples.
Mosaics
1.) Mosaic with Dionysus and Satyrs in the Center. 2nd C. AD, Rome, from Villa of Farnesina, taken from S. Giacomo in Settimiana. Dionysus in the center of a large mosaic dancing with two satyrs on the sides.
This museum gave me a good idea of how Dionysus was interpreted depending on the form of art and time period. I found a few more themes present in wall painting that I have not seen in sarcophagi, such as the birth and education of Dionysus. There also seemed to be a presence of minor themes concentrating mainly on his associates, such as Silenus, Pan, Maenads, and Ariadne. Two themes I found present in at least 3 different mediums (wall paintings, mosaics, and sarcophagi) were the Indian Triumph and Dionysus with Ariadne. These themes seem to be more distinct from each other in paintings and mosaics, whereas in Sarcophagi the two themes often are combined. Another new interpretation I came across was the Sardanapolos Dionysus, from Asia Minor, in the form of a statue. This figure differs greatly from other figure I have found, although he looks very similar to the figure in the sarcophagus from Naples, perhaps there was eastern influence in that area, interestingly enough, this statue is one of the few pieces of work I found in the museum that DOES NOT date exactly to the time period of Pompeii, but shortly after.
2.) Dionysus and Ariadne, from Pompeii, 45-79 AD. This painting shows Dionysus finding Ariadne on the island of Naxos, sleeping. He is accompanied by Cupid, Satyrs, probably Pan, and Silenus. There are also Maenads, or cult followers in the distant background.
3.) Hermaphroditus and Silenus, from Pompeii, 45-79 AD. This scene displays Hermaphroditus (offspring of Hermes and Aphrodite who becomes a hermaphrodite) repulsing the approach of Silenus (Dionysus’ teacher). This was a common theme in Roman painting.
4.) Satyr and Maenad, 45-79 AD, Pompeii. Satyr and Maenad dancing, both are associated with Dionysus as members of his cult.
While the last two paintings did not have scenes with ‘Dionysus in them they involved his associates, a similar theme I found in Naples, which would make sense as these paintings are from that time and place. The emphasis on Dionysian iconography seems to be an evident theme in any medium of this artwork.
Funeral Altar/Base
1.) Funeral altar with Maenads and Muses. 1st Century B.C.
2.)Base with Maenads. Maenads shown dancing around the entire base.
Statues of Dionysus
1.) Statue of Dionysus, 2nd. Cent. AD Young looking, vines in hair, standing in a feminine pose, wearing a wild cloak.
2.) Statue of Dionysus, 117-138 AD, Tivoli, same as above although he does not have grape vines in his hair and it is shorter, he does not look as feminine, but still very young.
3.) Bronze Statue of Dionysus, 117-138AD, Rome, Tevere
Long hair with grape vines, holds a staff, still feminine looking but less so than the first statue.
4.) Statue of Dionysus-Sardanapalos, 117-138 AD. Head restored, from the Appian Way, Castle Gandolgo. This statue is extremely different from the past examples, although they were all made around the same time. He is very large, much older looking, long hair, wears a chiton, he gives the image of a god-like grandfather figure instead of a feminine boy. This interpretation of Dionysus comes from the version of the god Dionysus-Sobazius, from Asia Minor. He is a Dionysus in mature age with curly hair, a long bears, in a chiton. It is an oriental style, the image of the god looks very similar to the sarcophagus (1) in Naples.
Mosaics
1.) Mosaic with Dionysus and Satyrs in the Center. 2nd C. AD, Rome, from Villa of Farnesina, taken from S. Giacomo in Settimiana. Dionysus in the center of a large mosaic dancing with two satyrs on the sides.
This museum gave me a good idea of how Dionysus was interpreted depending on the form of art and time period. I found a few more themes present in wall painting that I have not seen in sarcophagi, such as the birth and education of Dionysus. There also seemed to be a presence of minor themes concentrating mainly on his associates, such as Silenus, Pan, Maenads, and Ariadne. Two themes I found present in at least 3 different mediums (wall paintings, mosaics, and sarcophagi) were the Indian Triumph and Dionysus with Ariadne. These themes seem to be more distinct from each other in paintings and mosaics, whereas in Sarcophagi the two themes often are combined. Another new interpretation I came across was the Sardanapolos Dionysus, from Asia Minor, in the form of a statue. This figure differs greatly from other figure I have found, although he looks very similar to the figure in the sarcophagus from Naples, perhaps there was eastern influence in that area, interestingly enough, this statue is one of the few pieces of work I found in the museum that DOES NOT date exactly to the time period of Pompeii, but shortly after.
No comments:
Post a Comment