Athena Review Image Archive ™
Herculaneum: House of Neptune &Amphitrite, mask of Bacchus
Herculaneum: Tragic Mask at House of Neptune & Amphitrite (photo: Athena Review)
This mask (oscillum)
from the House of Neptune and Amphitrite portrays Bacchus or Dionysios,
the pastron deity of tragedy. It resembles other mask sculptures
throughout the Roman Empire. Examples are at Autun in Burgundy,
France, and the Theater at Orange in Provence.
Paintings
of the Dionysian mask also occur at Pompeii in association with the
Egyptian cult of Isis, where Osiris and Dionysios are both figures of
rebirth. Other related paintings are at the House of the Wooden
Partition in Herculaneum.
Copyright © 1996-2019 Rust Family Foundation (All Rights Reserved).