Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
The Roman god of wine is typically depicted as a cheerfully tipsy youth who lived an idle life. Here, the unidentified sculptor subtly conveys these qualities through the god's swaying posture, making a virtue of the natural curve of the tusk. Bacchus's youthful but lax muscles are captured through the sensuosity of the highly polished ivory, especially in his distended belly. These soft, smooth surfaces are set off by the rougher textures of the scraggly-haired goat that accompanies him.Many excellent artists working in ivory did not sign their work, and few received specific commissions but instead offered their work for sale to collectors. In consequence, the authorship of many works of the highest quality, such as this, has not been established.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
37426
label
Bacchus
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
37426
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Bacchus
description
The Roman god of wine is typically depicted as a cheerfully tipsy youth who lived an idle life. Here, the unidentified sculptor subtly conveys these qualities through the god's swaying posture, making a virtue of the natural curve of the tusk. Bacchus's youthful but lax muscles are captured through the sensuosity of the highly polished ivory, especially in his distended belly. These soft, smooth surfaces are set off by the rougher textures of the scraggly-haired goat that accompanies him.Many excellent artists working in ivory did not sign their work, and few received specific commissions but instead offered their work for sale to collectors. In consequence, the authorship of many works of the highest quality, such as this, has not been established.
provenance
Josephus Jitta, Amsterdam [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; W. S. L. Schuster, London [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Sale, Christie's, London, November 24, 1911, lot 75; George Robinson Harding, London [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1912, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
1625-1675 (Baroque)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ivory & Bone
statuettes (statues)
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
31.5
height
9
depth
8.5
dimensionsRaw
H: 12 3/8 × W: 3 9/16 × D: 3 3/8 in. (31.5 × 9 × 8.5 cm)
Source extras
med
ivory
creator_ids
6211
collection_ids
BAR
exhibition_ids
34
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
19e159bc1fe9bc62