Sarcophagus Panel with the Indian Triumph of Dionysus

CultureRoman
Titles
  • Sarcophagus Panel with the Indian Triumph of Dionysus
Date180–195 AD
MediumMarble
Dimensions34 1/2 × 85 3/4 × 9 1/2 in. (87.6 × 217.8 × 24.1 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Lee and Joe Jamail in honor of Caroline Wiess Law
Object number2003.53.1
Current Location
The Audrey Jones Beck Building
104 Cullen Foundation Atrium
Exposé

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Department
Antiquities
Description

This white marble panel depicts the triumphant return of the god Dionysus after spreading the miracle of wine culture to India and the East. A masterpiece of high-relief sculpture, it would have formed the front of a sarcophagus, a magnificent place of final rest.


Dionysus, wearing the headdress of grapes and grape leaves, is at the composition's center. His languorous pose and relaxed state of undress suggest sensuality. Around him, graceful female celebrants called maenads dance and play music. Satyrs—male followers with both human and animal characteristics—try to interest the maenads. Riding the donkey at far right is the old satyr, Silenus, and beside him is the forest creature Pan, who looks back at Dionysus. Young cherubs caress the god's feet and guide the panthers pulling his cart. Captives taken in India ride an exotic elephant at the rear of the parade.


ProvenanceRupprecht (Rupert), Crown Prince of Bavaria (1869–1955), Berchtesgaden, 1920s; private collection, Germany, c. 1960; [The Merrin Gallery, Inc., New York, 1994–2003]; purchased by MFAH, 2003.
Exhibition History"Gift of the Gods: The Art of Wine and Revelry," June 16 - October 21, 2001, Royal Ontario Museum, Canada.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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