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Italian Figural Walnut Centrepiece of Dionysus, 19th Century

About the Item

Italian Figural Walnut Centrepiece of Dionysus 19th Century Provenance: Private Australian Collection. Description: A walnut figure modelled on the bronze ‘Narcissus’ found in Naples 1862, now more commonly recognised to be Dionysus. The carved youth assumes contrapposto, his right leg bearing weight whilst his left leg is poised forward, left arm bent and clasping at the fawn’s skin adorning him whilst the right holds up a chalice. The figure leans against a tree, the branches rising to cradle an oval bowl with a rinceaux frieze beneath a pierced flared rim. Both the figure and the tree stand upon an oval base with grapevines and foliage strewn about, supported on four scotia profile feet. Notes: The statue on which the carving is based, the bronze ‘Narcissus’ or Dionysus of Naples is believed to have been modelled off the ‘Hermes of Praxiteles’, a work widely copied in Roman sculpture. The relation between the carving and the Neapolitan bronze is far more evident however, with the carving bearing a near identical appearance to that of the ‘Narcissus’. Discovered in a modest Pompeiian house in 1862, the presiding director of the Naples Museum Giuseppe Fiorelli identified the figure as Narcissus. Fiorelli’s initial identification has been widely criticised however, with the consensus generally supporting that the figure is in fact the Greek god of wine and pleasure, Dionysus. This opinion is supported by the myriad of Dionysiac imagery, such as the nebris (νεβρίς) or fawn’s skin cloaking the figure and the chalice he grasps, likely containing either wine or libations. The craftsman of the carved figure too clearly believed the subject to be Dionysus, further implying the identity of the subject through the inclusion of grapevines which twist out upon the base, imagery absent in the bronze original. Dimensions: Height: 100.5cm Width: 62.5cm Depth: 45cm
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 39.57 in (100.5 cm)Width: 24.61 in (62.5 cm)Depth: 17.72 in (45 cm)
  • Style:
    Neoclassical (In the Style Of)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Walnut,Hand-Carved
  • Place of Origin:
    Italy
  • Period:
    19th Century
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1800s
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses.
  • Seller Location:
    ARMADALE, AU
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: CP/JBLSWR1stDibs: LU8952242319422

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