Statue of Dionysos,

ca. 14–45 CE

In Roman art, the Greek god Dionysos (or Bacchus in the Roman tradition), could be shown as an infant, a handsome youth, or a bearded man. This youthful god was based on the so-called Westmacott Ephebe, a statue by the fifth century BCE Greek sculptor Polykleitos. Although his head is missing, we can identify the god through the inclusion of one of his attributes, a panther skin, draped over his chest and back. The remnants of a rectangular strut behind his right calf indicate there once was another figure or object here, possibly a panther. The figure’s right arm and shoulder were repaired in antiquity, as indicated by dowel channels and drill holes, one of which retains a metal pin. The detailed texturing on the animal skin and the soft modeling and smooth surfaces of the god’s body suggest that this statue was made in the early first century CE.