Maenad Carrying Grapes
Unknown · 2nd century AD (?)
More than two metres tall, this woman wears a peplos with a long overfold, belted at the waist, and gathers a bunch of grapes into the fold of the cloth. Long locks, partly preserved, fall over her shoulders, and she wears sandals. A vine stock rises beside her as a support, which, together with the grapes, links her to the world of Dionysos. The museum calls her a maenad, but with a question mark: she might be Ariadne, the god's bride, or simply a personification of the vintage. The record does not list restorations, so look for yourself at the joins in the arms and neck.
The statue was found in Rome and probably carved in Italy in the second century AD, the golden age of villa decoration when Greek dress and Greek gods were reproduced for Roman gardens. It came to the Louvre in 1807 with the Borghese collection. The peplos, with its overfold and belt, imitates the severe style of the fifth century BC, and the figure's size suggests it was made for an architectural setting. Compare it with the smaller maenad in the fawn skin nearby: two versions of the same follower of the wine god.
Did You Know? At more than two metres she is one of the tallest figures in the hall, yet her only attribute is a bunch of grapes tucked into her dress.
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