Bacchus (2007)
One of the two painted bronze statues in the pool of the Getty Villa’s outer peristyle. It’s a reproduction of a statue found at the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum.
Known to Greeks as Dionysus, Bacchus was the Roman god of wine and also the patron of theatre and agriculture. Unlike many Classical statues of youthful gym-toned deities, this one portrays Bacchus as a rather flabby middle-aged man. A modern American might view it through Puritan eyes, as a cautionary reminder to eat a healthy Mediterranean diet and to avoid drinking and banqueting. It more likely reflects the androgyny Greeks and Romans attributed to Bacchus. (The statue clearly shows him as male, but I’ve removed that particular detail from this picture to avoid harming children.) Regardless, he does seem to be enjoying himself.
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