BUST OF DIONYSUS-PLATO OR PRIAPUS

After the bust of Antiquity

Probably J. Chiurazzi Fils, Naples, Italy ca. 1900
Lost-wax cast bronze raised on the original green marble plinth
Unsigned

26" H x 12" D (base 8 1/2" diameter) x 17 1/8" W

Most often identified as a bust of Dionysus, it has also been given various associations over the years including Poseidon, a Priest, Plato and simply being "a philosopher". And undoubtedly there are many parallels in the work to Dionysos-Sardanapalos types of portraits. But most recently, it has been identified as most probably a portrait of the rural god Priapus based on the similarities between the bust and the representations of Priapus on sculpture, coins and hip-herms. In observing the model, the late 18th century "father of art history" Johann Joachim Winckelmann noted the bust was "one of the most perfect pieces in the whole world... it is impossible for the art of man to produce any thing, in any branch, superior to it". It was reported as being discovered in Herculanum in April of 1759 and the original is now in the permanent collection of the Naples Archaeological Museum.

The bust depicts the fertility god with his chaotic hair bound under a smooth ribbon across his crown, the tips of his hair captured beneath this while loose curls spiral out before his ears. The beard is only loosely symmetrical with loose pierced curls dropping down across his chest, this smoothly modeled together with his bare shoulders while the gentle folds of his chiton fall gently in tidy angles. It is the haunting seriousness of his downcast and utterly calm gaze that totally captures the viewer - serenity and sobriety. 

The present cast is unmarked, but is almost certainly a product of the J. Chiurazzi & Fils foundry of Naples, Italy. It was there offered throughout the late 19th century and is the second bust pictured in their catalogue with the same inventory number as the Naples Archeological Museum (no. 5618). There it was offered in two patinas: Herculaneum (350 francs) and Moderne (400 francs), both with the full height of 50 cms in perfect replication of the original. They also offered it in 28 cms and 15 cms.

See Christie's, London, 19 July 2022, lot 73 for an example of the same dimension attributed to Chiurazzi (achieved 15,120 GBP or $ 18,000 USD at the time of sale). An example of the smaller version sold a few years earlier at Sotheby's, London, 16 December 2015, lot 6, achieving 10,000 GBP or approx. $ 14,975 USD converted at the time of sale.

References: The Villa Dei Papiri at Herculaneum: Life and Afterlife of a Sculpture Collection, Mattusch, Getty Publications, 2005, p. 283-286, ill. also on the front cover; 

Condition: Very fine original condition. Rubbing to original patination throughout chest and fleshy portions, very minor and some rub through the upper layers of patination are almost certainly original to create surface contrast. The bust would originally have had a curved rod from the reverse horizontal plate to the reverse of the chest to support the joint - this has since been lost (see weld spots): a replacement can be fabricated upon request, though it does not appear to be necessary. Minor flea-bite chips to the marble. Ready to place.

ref. 604PKP22T