Fragment: Head of Dionysus
Artist
Unidentified artist
CultureGreek, Attic
Date440 BCE
Mediumearthenware
Dimensions3 3/4 x 3 1/4 in. (9.6 x 8.2 cm)
Classificationsceramics
Credit LineGift of Henry and Sara Immerwahr
Object number91.96
DescriptionHead and upper torso of a male figure. The head, in profile to left, has long hair, loose curls to the shoulders, a mustache, and a pointed beard. The pupil is at the front of the wide-open profile eye; the ear is crescent-shaped. He wears a thick fillet—or mitra—with chevron patterns, the end hanging before the ear, as is typical of Dionysos. The chiton and himation, rendered with thin black lines, define the frontal chest as flat. The vine branch above his head would have been held by his left hand. He may also have held a vase in his right hand, in his role as the god of wine. The top of a fennel stalk tipped with ivy, or thyrsos, a common attribute of Dionysos and symbol of fertility, may have been held by a maenad.300 A dilute glaze is used for facial features and drapery.On View
Not on viewCollections
