Bronze Dionysius
After the antique, attributed to the Chiurazzi Foundry, Naples, second half 19th century
Bronze on original Rosso Antico marble socle
Chiurazzi model no. 1, after the antique in the Museo Nazionale di Napoli (inv. 5618) –
“Bronzo da Ercolano 1741”
Previously misidentified as Plato
Height: 70cm
After the antique, Chiurazzi Foundry, Naples, second half 19th century
A finely cast bronze by the Chiurazzi Foundry, Naples, after the celebrated antique
excavated at Herculaneum in 1741 and now preserved in the Museo Nazionale di Napoli
(inv. 5618). The model is recorded in the Chiurazzi Foundry catalogue as “N. 1 – Dionisio
o Platone – Bronzo da Ercolano 1741”, indicating both the foundry’s internal model
number and the Naples museum inventory of the original.
The figure’s soft modelling, elaborate curls and bound taenia are characteristic of
Hellenistic representations of Dionysus, though early scholars, struck by the
introspective expression, also proposed identifications with Plato or other philosophers.
Modern scholarship accepts the Dionysian attribution.
Chiurazzi held exclusive rights to reproduce works from the Naples collections, issuing
casts directly from museum models for export to collectors and institutions across
Europe and America. This example, with its even dark patination and original Rosso
Antico marble socle, reflects the exceptional quality for which the foundry became
renowned.
Provenance: Private collection at Chateau De Pesselières, France.
Reference: Fonderia Chiurazzi, Napoli, catalogue no. 1 “Dionisio o Platone - Bronzo da Ercolano 1741.”
Bronze on original Rosso Antico marble socle
Chiurazzi model no. 1, after the antique in the Museo Nazionale di Napoli (inv. 5618) –
“Bronzo da Ercolano 1741”
Previously misidentified as Plato
Height: 70cm
After the antique, Chiurazzi Foundry, Naples, second half 19th century
A finely cast bronze by the Chiurazzi Foundry, Naples, after the celebrated antique
excavated at Herculaneum in 1741 and now preserved in the Museo Nazionale di Napoli
(inv. 5618). The model is recorded in the Chiurazzi Foundry catalogue as “N. 1 – Dionisio
o Platone – Bronzo da Ercolano 1741”, indicating both the foundry’s internal model
number and the Naples museum inventory of the original.
The figure’s soft modelling, elaborate curls and bound taenia are characteristic of
Hellenistic representations of Dionysus, though early scholars, struck by the
introspective expression, also proposed identifications with Plato or other philosophers.
Modern scholarship accepts the Dionysian attribution.
Chiurazzi held exclusive rights to reproduce works from the Naples collections, issuing
casts directly from museum models for export to collectors and institutions across
Europe and America. This example, with its even dark patination and original Rosso
Antico marble socle, reflects the exceptional quality for which the foundry became
renowned.
Provenance: Private collection at Chateau De Pesselières, France.
Reference: Fonderia Chiurazzi, Napoli, catalogue no. 1 “Dionisio o Platone - Bronzo da Ercolano 1741.”
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