- Museum number
- 1947,0714.4
- Description
-
Part of a sarcophagus, of Phrygian marble: A winged and cloaked cupid, his hair plaited over the crown and falling in ringlets at the sides, supports the drunken infant Bacchus, who falls backwards into the cupid's arms, holding up a bunch of grapes in his left hand. A naked satyr, carved at a much smaller scale, dances to the right, brandishing a lagoboulon over his shoulders. Apart from a simple double cavetto, the upper moulding is undecorated. The feet of all three figures stand on the lower moulding, which is broken below the rebate.
- Production date
- 140-160 (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Height: 81 centimetres
-
Thickness: 7 centimetres
-
Width: 101 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- Walker, Susan, 1990, Catalogue of Roman Sarcophagi in the British Museum:
Michaelis, 640 no. 72; E. Strong, JHS 28 (1908), 27 no. 40, pl. 19.6; J. M. C. Toynbee, The Hadrianic School (1936), 227, pl. 54.1; F. Matz, Ein römisches Meisterwerk (1959), 84 no. 33; Giuliano, Commercio (1966), 65 no. 413, Koch-Sichtermann, 420 with n. 20; 432, no. 47.
This relief has been published by various scholars, who classed it as Attic on the reasonable grounds of its close resemblance to Attic sarcophagi (see bibliography above). However, isotopic analysis of the marble suggests a Phrygian origin. The figures on the left may be compared with an Asiatic sarcophagus of 'Torre Nova' type, of uncertain provenance and now in Richmond, Virginia.(1) Moreover, as Matz pointed out, the motif of a supported youth is most frequently represented on sarcophagi from southern Asia Minor.(2) Formerly assumed to be Attic imports, these are now recognised as local products derived from Attic types.3 In contrast to the frieze sarcophagi decorated with scenes of hunting (Walker, no. 62, 1848.10-20.170), and Amazonomachies made for local customers, Phrygian Bacchic sarcophagi were apparently destined for exports to Pamphylia and Italy, where they were sold in competition with Attic sarcophagi.(4) The lack of decoration on the mouldings suggests that the London relief may be of Italian provenance.(5)
1. Waelkens, 53, no. 10, pl. 15.4.
2. Matz, op. cit. (above), 87.
3. Wiegartz, 39.
4. Waelkens, 32.
5. Idem, 33 for other examples.
- Location
- Not on display
- Condition
- Most of the right hand of Bacchus is lost. There are patches of restoration at each side of the relief, on the lower edge of Bacchus' cloak, and beside his right foot.
- Acquisition date
- 1947
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1947,0714.4