Dionysus Sarcophagus Analysis

Xiangdan Liang
Art History 123
April 20, 2016
Formal Analysis: Dionysus Sarcophagus to Santa Maria Sarcophagus Sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysus and the Four Seasons, known as The Badminton Sarcophagus, a bathtub type stone-architectural-inscribed sarcophagus which displayed on the four black marble balls and the base that were designed for the piece by the English architect William Kent in the early part of the eighteenth century is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York. It is came from the collection of the dukes of Beaufort, at Badminton House, Gloucestershire, England. The Dionysiac sarcophagi is the art of Late Imperial, Gallienic Period. However, it became popular from third century to nowadays because of its elegance

Also, the seasons in this sarcophagus explains as symbols of god and intentionally associated the individual buried in the sarcophagus with the god whose image it bears. The inference was that the deceased renewal and rebirth into richness of all seasons through the power of god. In general, the Dionysus sarcophagus was carved with much developed skills than other sarcophagus, like Santa Maria Antiqua

It is the Early Christian sarcophagus which depicts four real historical stories, the salvation of Jonah, Christ as Good Shepherd, the baptism of Christ and the two orants. The Dionysus sarcophagus and the Santa Maria Antiqua sarcophagus are both created in the third century, however, the way they carved and the arrangement are different. In the Santa Maria Antiqua sarcophagus, the shape of the human bodies are rounded and it’s not realistic as the Dionysus sarcophagus. The hands, hairs and the trees in the background are not carved as delicated as the sarcophagus of Dionysus, too. In addition, the stories of Santa Maria Antiqua sarcophagus is based on the real historical events, however, the Dionysus sarcophagus did not carved the historical events, it has been carved the forty human and animals figures, include Dionysus, his follower and the personifications of Earth, Sea and four seasons. Furthermore, the personifications in the Dionysus sarcophagus are evenly separated each side of the Dionysus figure, which is in the middle of the front side. However, in the Santa Maria Antiqua sarcophagus, the different stories divided separately. The story of Jonah’s salvation from whale is on the left side of sarcophagus and the orant woman with seated man are placed next to the Jona. Subsequently, the good shepherd and the baptism of Christ are placed on the right side of sarcophagus. Moreover, the Dionysus