{"product_id":"antinous-and-dionysus-a-pair-of-bronze-busts","title":"Antinous and Dionysus, a Pair of Bronze Busts","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn exquisite pair of 'Grand Tour' bronze busts, one after the Lansdowne Antinous (modelled as Bacchus), the other one after the Capitoline Dionysus (Bacchus).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrance or Italy, 19th century. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy we like them\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCoveted by the 19th century intellectuals and aesthetes, such exquisite objects were not mere decorations, but symbols of their owner's classical values and refined taste. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHistory\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth busts are representations of the Greek god Dionysus (or his Roman counterpart Bacchus), a nature god of fruitfulness and vegetation, especially known as a god of wine and ecstasy. While Apollo was responsible for intellectual activities, Dionysus represented the sensual aspect of human life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne is modelled after a \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/museicapitolini.comune.roma.it\/assetdet\/1027\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cu\u003eRoman copy of a Hellenistic example\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, now preserved in the Capitoline museum in Rome. The god of wine is depicted as a beautiful young man, wearing a fillet across his forehead. His downcast gaze is fixed in a calm expression, and his youthful features are characterised by softly modelled cheeks, a straight nose and full lips. This arguably feminine representation of the god has resulted in the bust's former identification as a woman, usually a Bacchante or Ariadne.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe model for the other bust is known as the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk\/explore-our-collection\/highlights\/GR1001937\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eLansdowne Antinous\u003c\/a\u003e, found at Hadrian’s Villa near Rome in 1769, now in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Antinous, from the province of Bithynia on the Black Sea coast, was the beloved companion of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, and he died in October 130 CE. The circumstances of his death are shrouded in mystery, however, it is generally believed that he drowned in the River Nile. Hadrian was grief-stricken and, soon after, he declared that the youth had been reborn as a god. In death, as in life, Antinous’ appeal lay in his youth and beauty, and his face became one of the best known in the Roman world. The handsome, sensual features of this statue – with its round face, almond-shaped eyes, strong brows, full lips and thick, tousled hair – are found on many other representations from all over Hadrian’s empire. In art Antinous was often assimilated with other, more traditional gods. Sometimes he is represented as Apollo, sometimes as Dionysus (Bacchus). The identification between Dionysus and Antinous went beyond the visual. Like the Greek god of wine, Antinous was believed to have died and been reborn.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDimensions\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHeight (max): 22 cm \/ 8.65\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWidth (max): 10 cm \/ 3.95\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDepth (max): 12 cm \/ 4.70\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Peacock's Finest","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57082249511238,"sku":null,"price":4480.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0845\/3138\/0550\/files\/FullSizeRender_95484890-1301-4153-8473-19cfdc482ff7.jpg?v=1786031364","url":"https:\/\/peacocksfinest.com\/products\/antinous-and-dionysus-a-pair-of-bronze-busts","provider":"Peacock's Finest","version":"1.0","type":"link"}