Woman (Maenad?) holding a dish. Peacock and fruit
Ca. 1—79 CE.81.1 × 77.2 × 7.9 cm. Inv. No. 83.AG.222.4.2.Los Angeles, John Paul Getty Museum, Getty Villa in Malibu
Woman (Maenad?) holding a dish. Peacock and fruit.
Ca. 1—79 CE.
81.1 × 77.2 × 7.9 cm.
81.1 × 77.2 × 7.9 cm.
Inv. No. 83.AG.222.4.2.
Los Angeles, John Paul Getty Museum, Getty Villa in Malibu.
Origin:
Antike Kunst Palladion (Basel, Switzerland), sold to the J. Paul Getty Museum, 1983.
Description:
One of two colorful fresco fragments (see also 83.AG.222.2) that once decorated the same wall. A draped female figure holds a metal dish, standing within an arbor. In keeping with the theme of the two frescoes, she may be identified as a maenad—a follower of the wine god Bacchus. In a separate scene underneath her are pieces of fruit on either side of a peacock, an exotic bird kept in the gardens of wealthy Romans. The fruit includes a bunch of grapes and pomegranates—symbols of fertility and rebirth. The bright red border framing both the figure and the scene below has a rectangular panel with stucco imitation (white silhouettes on a blue background) inserted along the top. Parts of the white background of the wall are visible. This fresco likely decorated a room in a Roman villa.
Literature:
The J. Paul Getty Museum Handbook of the Antiquities Collection (Los Angeles: 2002), p. 220.
Credits:
(cc) 2019. Photo, text: The J. Paul Getty Museum (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Digital image courtesy of the Getty’s Open Content Program.
Digital image courtesy of the Getty’s Open Content Program.
Keywords: ζωγραφικήί pictura ars picturae painting pittura malerei peinture ελληνική μυθολογία mythologia graeca greek mythology mitologia greca griechische mythologie grecque μαινάδα μαινάδες mainades maenas maenades maenad maenads menade menadi mänade mänaden ménade ménades ρωμαϊκές roman romana romano romani römisch römische römisches römischen römischer romain romaine romains romaines φρεσκογραφία τοιχογραφία νωπογραφία wall fresco frescos frescoes opera parietale murale opere parietali murali affresco affreschi freskomalerei frischmalerei wandmalerei fresko fresken fresque fresques pintura mural female dress clothes clothing garment abbigliamento femminile damenbekleidung vêtements pour femmes γυναικεία ρούχα bird birds uccello vogel oiseau πουλί pavo peacock pavone pfau paon παγόνι uva botrys botrus bunch of grapes grappolo d’uva weintraube wein traube grappe de raisin τσαμπί σταφύλια cup bowl coppa becher schale coupe floral ornament vegetal motif ornamento floreale blumenverzierung ornement στολίδι punica granatum pomegranate melograno granatapfel grenade ροδιά inv no 83.ag.222.4.2
