Bacchus (known to the Greeks as Dionysus) was
the god of the vine, of wine and mystic ecstasy.
His cult was prolific throughout the
Mediterranean, and may have been known as far
as India since it was believed he traveled to that
distant country. His worship was manifested in
tumultuous processions in which the spirits of
earth and of fecundity appeared, their likenesses
evoked by masks. This hollow cast bronze bust
depicts Bacchus with a mantle draped around his
shoulders. A wreath composed of vine leaves
with clusters of grapes crowns his head; his hair
parted down the middle and pulled back into a
low chignon. His wide eyes are slightly recessed
with deep pupils. His straight mouth with fleshy
lip is closed. Are we to believe that he is slightly
inebriated? Perhaps he is in a state of mystical
ecstasy brought about from his consumption of
sacred libations? Such a small bust may have
functioned as a furniture appliqué, or may have
stood by itself in a small shrine in the house of
one of his followers as an emblem of personal
devotion.
- (X.0146)
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