Table Leg, Dionysus Leaning on Pillar
- Date
- 2nd C. AD, Roman
- Museum
- Manisa, Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum, 3793
- Museum Inventory No.
- 3793
- Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
- S63.058
- Material
- Marble, Stone
- Object Type
- Sculpture
- Sculpture Type
- Furnishing, Human Figure, Mythological Figure
- Site
- Sardis
- Sector
- BS
- Trench
- Syn 63
- Locus
- BS Locus BS-E 19 (Area of)
- B-Grid Coordinates
- E113.4 - E114.1 / S0.5 *97.75
- Findspot
- BS E 19 next to N wall.
- Description
Young Dionysus leans on a pillar with l. arm, his hand cupped over the top of the pillar molding. Weight is on his r. leg, the l. one crosses it in front and rests on the ball of the foot. His back is against a second, taller pillar with stepped-out base and simple capital. The face is smashed away but the long hair, parted in middle and falling to shoulders, bound with ivy or grape vine, confirms the identification. The leaves stem from a twisted cord-like vine. Drill holes at leaves suggest grapes, or are possibly for metal attachment. Hair behind the vine is not carved. His body is plump but the surface treatment is hard. The r. arm was attached by dowelling; there is a trace of iron strut on the r. thigh. Anathyrosis is on top of the tall pillar where the table leg was attached; rough chisel marks remain on its back.
The proportions are stocky; the treatment of anatomy and surface is adequate but lacking in real understanding. The hard technique suggests a date in the 2nd C. A.D.
- Condition
White marble.
Head and top of back pillar broken off horizontally, now mended. R. arm missing from above elbow. Face and genitals damaged.
- Dimensions
- H. 1/04. Base: 0.242 by 0.275 by 0.07. Small pillar: H. 0.40; W. 0.07; D. 0.08.
- Comments
- See Also
- Bibliography
- Published: BASOR 174, 46; 177, 20, fig. 20; Hanfmann, Letters, fig. 115; also found in Shop E19, cf. Cat. 220 (Fig. 385). The Byzantine Shops will be published by J.S. Crawford in a forthcoming Sardis monographSardis M9.
- Author
- NHR