100 - A RARE BRONZE RELIEF OF DIONYSUS ON A PANTHER, 1ST CENTURY BC-1ST CENTURY AD, EX MUSÉE GANTNER

A RARE BRONZE RELIEF OF DIONYSUS ON A PANTHER, 1ST CENTURY BC-1ST CENTURY AD, EX MUSÉE GANTNER Exhibited: Musée Gantner, Lachapelle-sous-Chaux, 1993 to 2013. Roman Empire. Finely worked in high relief with Dionysus riding upon a panther, the god rendered with delicate, feminine features and seated side-saddle. His long hair falls to the nape, bound by a grape-decorated fillet, while a fur skin is draped over his left shoulder in a knot, and a voluminous coat wrapped around his hips, cascading in pleats to the ankles. His finely rendered sandals complete the figure. The panther strides forward with its head turned to the side, mouth agape and ears alert, its whiskers finely chiseled and eyes formerly inlaid. Provenance: A.G. Auction 56, Basel, 19 February 1980, Kunstwerke der antiken Münzen und Medaillen, lot 159. The archaeological collection of Bernard Gantner, acquired from the above, then exhibited in the Musée Gantner. Osenat Fontainebleau, Paris, 19 January 2014, Musée Bernard Gantner (1928-2018), lot 20. A noted private collection, acquired from the above. Bernard Gantner (1928-2018) was a French landscape painter, lithographer, and illustrator from Belfort, whose artistic career developed alongside a deep interest in archaeology and the arts of different cultures. He formed a substantial personal collection of archaeological and art-historical objects, with particular interests in Asian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Pre-Columbian art, as well as rare books and incunabula. His collection was displayed alongside his own paintings in the Musée Gantner, which he established at Lachapelle-sous-Chaux in 1993. Following the closure of the Musée Gantner, the archaeological collection was dispersed at auction by Osenat, Fontainebleau, on 19 January 2014. Condition: Good condition with minor wear, obvious losses, a thin crack to the face of the panther, some sections reattached with fills and areas of stabilization to the back. Small remnants of gilt. Fine dark brown patina with some malachite encrustations. Weight: 552 g (incl. stand), 351 g (excl. stand) Dimensions: Height 18.4 cm (excl. stand), 20.4 cm (incl. stand) With a modern stand. (2) In Greek and Roman art, Dionysus, the god of wine, vines, fertility and festivity, is frequently shown accompanied by a panther or wearing its spotted skin, which became one of his characteristic attributes. The animal appears alongside the god in a wide range of media, from Greek vase painting and Hellenistic sculpture to Roman mosaics and wall paintings. For a terracotta panther head with closely related expression and features, dated 1 st century AD, see the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 12.232.9. Also compare a related female depiction of Dionysus riding a panther with nearly the same clothes and hair on a mosaic from the House of Masks in the Archaeological Museum in Delos. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s New York, 13 December 2013, lot 127 Price: USD 37,500 or approx. EUR 47,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A roman bronze group of Dionysus and Ampelos, circa 1st century B.C.-1st century A.D. Expert remark: Compare the related subject. Note the size (14.9 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 8 June 2004, lot 455 Price: USD 38,240 or approx. EUR 59,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A late Hellenistic or roman bronze fulcrum terminal, circa 1st century B.C. Expert remark: Compare the similar figural subject, material, and size (19.2 cm).