Marble statuette of young Dionysos

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Adaptation of a Greek statue type of the late 4th century B.C. The god is nude except for the nebris (fawn skin) worn diagonally at his right shoulder. Long locks of hair are falling onto the shoulders and back. There are remains of a support on the left flank, while traces of red paint are still visible between the locks of hair in front. The statuette belongs to a series of Roman eclectic sculptures that refer back to a late classical Greek type. The s-curve and slight twist of the torso to the right for example are direct quotes of works by Praxiteles. The young Dionysos became quite popular during the reign of Hadrian in the second century A.D. Most probably the statuette was a decorative piece, although a votive context should also be considered.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.

Metropolitan Museum of Art