Bacchus – Sculpture in La Serena
Work
Bacchus
Author
Unknown (replica)
Year
20th Century [Estimated]
History
Bacchus (Dionysus in Greek) is the god of wine, the vine, ecstasy and theater.
Son of Jupiter and the mortal Semele, he was born twice: first from his mother's womb, who died upon seeing Jupiter's true divine form, and then from his father's thigh, where he was gestated anew.
Raised by nymphs and satyrs, he learned the secrets of the vine.
His cult, associated with the liberation of inhibitions through wine, included orgiastic rituals (the bacchanals) and theatrical performances.
Bacchus symbolizes the life–death–rebirth cycle (like the vine, which is pruned and reborn), and his myth explores dualities: joy and madness, civilization and wild nature.
In Renaissance art (as in Sansovino's sculpture), he is represented as young and androgynous, with grapes or a cup,
evoking both pleasure and the fleeting nature of life (*carpe diem*).
Technical Data
AUTHOR
Jacopo Sansovino (1486–1570), Florentine architect and sculptor, was a key figure in the Venetian Renaissance.
After working in Rome, he settled in Venice in 1527, where he designed masterpieces such as the *Marciana Library* and the *Loggetta*, fusing classicism with local elegance.
He also sculpted the *Neptune* of the Doge's Palace.
His work influenced the evolution towards Baroque.
TIME
20th Century [Estimated]
MATERIALITY
White Carrara statuary marble.
DESCRIPTION
Nude youth with classical proportions, in a slight *contrapposto* posture.
Drunken and smiling face, crowned with ivy. Curly hair, relaxed but muscular body. Holds a wine cup and grape clusters.
Panther skin over the shoulder. Expression of jovial intoxication, with half-closed eyes.
Influenced by classical Antiquity, it mixes idealism and vitality, typical Renaissance features.
Represents the exaltation of nature and pleasure, within the humanist context of the era.