Media Information

 
 
 
Collection:
ADJUNCT MODULE B: ITALIAN ART
Preferred Title:
Statue of Priapus
Alternate Title:
Statua di Priapo
Image View:
Detail, upper torso and face
Creator:
unknown (Ancient Greek) sculptor
Location:
repository: Museo Archeologico Regionale 'Paolo Orsi' (Syracuse, Sicily, Italy) inv. 97227
Location Note:
Viale Teocrito, 66
GPS:
37.0764 15.2864
Date:
ca. 250-200 BCE (creation)
Cultural Context:
Ancient Greek
Style Period:
Hellenistic
Work Type 1:
sculpture (visual work)
Classification:
Sculpture and Installations
Material:
limestone
Technique:
carving (processes)
Measurements:
168 cm (height)
Subjects:
deities; mythology (Classical)
Description:
Discovered in viale Paolo Orsi, Syracuse, found in a well in 1978. It is a work from the Syracusan workshops of the Hieronian period (the work dates from the second half of the 3rd century BCE). This may be the earliest known rendering of the god Priapos (Priapus) in major sculpture; it is shown in the lordosis (bent backwards) type. Priapus is the protector of fertility, and his statues, often roughly carved in wood, were very popular in gardens and orchards. This statue has the characteristics of a herm; the face is rendered with grotesque details and the hair is thick and ruffled. The statue probably belonged to a monumental garden in the Hellenistic quarter around the present area of Piazza Adda, and was sacked during the Roman conquest of the town. Priapus (and his cult) is mentioned by ancient authors, like the Syracusan Theocritus, as the companion of the shepherd's god Pan. [Information from museum label.]
Collection:
Adjunct Module B: Italian Art
Identifier:
7A3-G-AMA-SP-A05
Rights:
© Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc.

Statue of Priapus