Torso of Dionysus
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Object Label
This gray-black basalt torso of a youth probably represents Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and pleasure. The attribute of the skin of a recently slain fawn worn as a shawl over the god’s shoulder is the indicator of the subject mater. Similarly, the ends of the meandering, shoulder-length locks of his hair, visible beside the neck, in their length and luxurious disarray also point to the youthful Dionysus. The smooth bodily contours, too, suggest the god’s identity—though one scholar has called this particular sculpture of Dionysus “plump,” with some excess weight gained through overindulgence in wine and sybaritic pursuits.
Caption
Roman. Torso of Dionysus, 2nd–3rd century C.E.. Basalt, 29 × 14 1/2 × 8 1/4 in. (73.7 × 36.8 × 21 cm) 120.5 lb. (54.7kg). Brooklyn Museum, Anonymous gift, 80.249. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 80.249_front.jpg)
Culture
Title
Torso of Dionysus
Date
2nd–3rd century C.E.
Period
Hadrianic or Antonine copy of a Hellenistic statue
Medium
Basalt
Classification
Dimensions
29 × 14 1/2 × 8 1/4 in. (73.7 × 36.8 × 21 cm) 120.5 lb. (54.7kg)
Credit Line
Anonymous gift
Accession Number
80.249
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
It says this is the torso of Dionysus (Greek God) and it is in the Egyptian Art section. Why would it be here?
That's a great question! The simple answer is that Egypt was taken over by Alexander the Great and it did become a part of the Hellenistic World, even though the Greek leaders of Egypt at the time still called themselves pharaohs. Dionysus, specifically, has direct ties to Egypt as well. As you may have read in the label, the Greek writer Antoninus Liberalis recounts that Dionysus hid in Egypt disguised as a goat to escape Zeus’s wrath after an attempted rebellion.How do you know this is Dionysus?
If you look closely at the figure's right shoulder, you can see hooves of a goat or sheep which indicates that it is a sheep or goat's skin that is draped across the torso. As you may have read in the label, during the Ptolemaic period Dionysus was conflated with the Egyptian god Osiris who's sacred animal was a ram.What can you tell me about this?
This torso of the god Dionysus is made from basalt, a stone carved exclusively in Egypt. It was made during the period when the Roman Empire ruled over Egypt, around the 2nd or 3rd century CE. Dionysus is the god of wine, drunkenness, dancing, theater and all other "out of control" behavior, hugely popular with the Greeks and the later Romans under than name Bacchus.Why is this Greek torso in the Egyptian gallery?
That's a great question! The primary reason is that the material it's made from comes from Egypt. It also speaks to the international melting pot of the Mediterranean during the Roman period. With the entire region under one rule goods and ideas flowed freely from one area to another.Is this Roman?
This Torso of Dionysus is probably the most Roman object on view right now! Like many Roman statues, it is a copy of a Greek original. It can be identified as Dionysus by the goat hooves on the skin he wears.Of particular interest is the incredible craftsmanship and the beautiful black stone that was quarried in Egypt.Thank you.
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