Name: Dionysus statue in the Gardens in Maribell Palace
Date: 1730
Location: Gardens in Maribell Palace
Approximate Dimensions: unknown
Sculptor: Ottavio Mosto
Medium: stone
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salzburg#Main_sights, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Mirabell
Picture taken by Chris Carter
Significance of the work:
This depiction of Dionysus, unlike the similar one of Artemis, is faithful to the standard classical model of him. He is carrying his aulos and has a satchel hanging on his side. The most prominent feature of this statue, though, is that Dionysus is posed in a feminine position. His satchel even covers up his most prominent male feature. Because of these aspects, this statue is easily identified as Bacchus. When this is compared with renditions of Artemis, it is interesting to see how she is sculpted in a masculine manner but Bacchus is sculpted in a very feminine form. To me this seems to say that the ancient Greeks sometimes believed that gender was not always about the way you were born but the way you carried yourself.
No comments:
Post a Comment