Koller Auctions Zurich - Switzerland

MARBLE TORSO OF DIONYSUS

Roman, circa 2nd century AD. After the model of the “Tivoli Dionysus” of the Hadrianic period, circa AD 120–140.
Marble carved in the round, with traces of encrustation. Fragmentary torso of a gently muscled Dionysus standing in slight contrapposto, with a "nebris" draped diagonally over the shoulder. Iron pins partly visible. Mounted on a later Neoclassical marble base.
H without base: 53 cm.
Fragment.

Provenance:
- Collection of Louis Hagner (1935–, living in Ticino), Lugano, 1960–1972 (according to a copy of an invoice from Galerie Bader).
- Freddie Küng Antiquitäten, Lucerne, 1972–1976 (according to a copy of an invoice from Galerie Bader).
- Galerie Bader, Zurich, 13 May 1977 (according to a copy of the invoice).
- Swiss private collection, acquired from the above gallery.

A particularly close comparison is provided by the so-called “Tivoli Dionysus,” a marble statue from Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli, now in the Museo Nazionale Romano (Palazzo Massimo alle Terme) in Rome. The balanced modelling of the upper body, the calm stance and the "nebris" draped over the left shoulder show striking similarities to the present torso. The position of the arms, as reconstructed from the fracture surfaces, with the right arm hanging loosely down and the left arm angled away from the body, likewise corresponds to the Tivoli Dionysus type. The sculptural treatment of the drapery, the arrangement of the fawnskin and the harmonious proportions also point to a close typological relationship. Another important version of this statue type is in Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam. The almost completely preserved marble statue, with 18th-century additions, was acquired by King Frederick II in 1742 and likewise probably derives from the Tivoli Dionysus type.

The iconographic identification of the present torso nevertheless remains uncertain. The "nebris" worn over the shoulder, the skin of a fawn or young deer, is a characteristic attribute of Dionysus, or Bacchus. At the same time, this attribute is also found in depictions of fauns and satyrs, which can lead to overlapping iconographic interpretations, particularly in the case of fragmentary sculptures. In the present case, however, the idealized treatment of the body, the balanced proportions and the position of the arms corresponding to that of the Tivoli Dionysus favor an identification as the God himself rather than as a satyr or faun.