Dionysus
Hellenistic Period, Greek Head of Dionysus,
200-100 B.C.
Bronze, copper-tin alloy, silver-plated eyes
This is one of only six large-scale Greek, bronze figural sculptures in the United States. The androgynous youthful head depicts Dionysus, the god of wine and the theater. The ivy wreath is the identifying attribute, which has lost two berry clusters, leaving holes at the top of the head. The headband was once inlayed with silver swastikas flanking a four-petaled rosette within a circle. "Swastika" is a Sanskrit word, but the motif is known in India, China, Africa, native America, and Europe.
Anonymous loan L2019.7
Dionysus
Hellenistic Period, Greek Head of Dionysus,
200-100 B.C.
Bronze, copper-tin alloy, silver-plated eyes
This is one of only six large-scale Greek, bronze figural sculptures in the United States. The androgynous youthful head depicts Dionysus, the god of wine and the theater. The ivy wreath is the identifying attribute, which has lost two berry clusters, leaving holes at the top of the head. The headband was once inlayed with silver swastikas flanking a four-petaled rosette within a circle. "Swastika" is a Sanskrit word, but the motif is known in India, China, Africa, native America, and Europe.
Anonymous loan L2019.7