French bronze sculpture, 19th century

Height x diameter: 24.5 x 13 cm. Weight: 3330 g.

of cylindrical shape with gilded base and upper part, decorated at the bottom with whorls and beads and at the top with vine leaves and bunches of grapes.
Central bronze shaft, modelled to depict seven figures of dancing putti, draped in drapes, including a figure with a goat's head.
The scene seems to represent a Bacchanal, a celebration in honor of the god Pan, who is typically depicted with goat horns.
The Bacchanal was a religious festival in ancient Rome dedicated to Bacchus, or Pan, the god of wine, intoxication, and the liberation of the senses. During these celebrations, participants indulged in wild rituals, characterized by dance and music, celebrating ecstasy and the divine, with abundant wine consumption and freedom of attire. This reference is also evident in the decorations of the upper part, made of gilded bronze, where hanging grape clusters are depicted, and in the upper section, where the motifs of the dancing putti are repeated. At the center of this, there is a scene showing nude male and female figures, lying supine, with a central figure possessing goat horns playing the flute, known as the "Pan flute." In fact, the figure playing the instrument can be identified as Pan.