Head of Dionysus | Harvard Art Museums

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 34.1908
Title: Head of Dionysus
Classification: Sculpture
Work Type: statuette, sculpture
Date: 300-200 BCE
Places: Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Smyrna (Ionia)
Period: Hellenistic period
Culture: Greek
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/293405

Physical Descriptions

Medium: Terracotta, traces of gilding
Technique: Mold-made
Dimensions: with base: 5 cm (1 15/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History: Misses Katherine B. and Mary D. Upham; loan to Fogg Art Museum, 1908.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line: Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Loan from Estate of Donald Upham and Mrs. R. U. Hunter
Object Number: 34.1908
Division: Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact: am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description: Effeminate figure with long, thick hair held by wide band (with two bunches of fruit) visible across top of forehead. Hair falls loosely at the sides, with small ringlets on each cheek, but is held in a knot at the nape of his neck. Sharply defined features, including indicated eyelids and pupils. Traces of gilding visible. Broken off at neck, oval chip from the top of the head, tip of the nose and the left fruit bunch missing.
Hard, brownish red clay with particles of mica and traces of gilding.

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

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