| Paintings and mosaics in Pompeii and Ercolano: |
Medallion with Dionysus and Maenad
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 This
medallion, which is surrounded by a frame of black and white
astragals marking the boundary between the red of the main panel
and the black of the roundel, portrays a bust of Dionysus
crowned with ivy leaves and roses intertwined with a pale band,
and one of a Maenad. The God is shown holding up a silver
cantharus and a thyrsus, symbols of his energy along with the
wine which gave ecstasy, and he is shown looking out with dark
piercing eyes, as if detached from reality.
The Maenad is smaller in size and has flowers on her head,
dangling earrings and a violet-coloured cloak. She is staring up
at the God, totally absorbed by him. Her smaller size is not
only the result of a skilled master of perspective but also a
deliebrate emphasis on the figure of Dionysus who can also be
found in the pendant where he is shown in the company of a Satyr.
Bibliography: Pompeii AD 79, London, Cat. 146
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Fonte: MANN
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