The Sculpture Museum - Catalog - Page 14
CARLO ALBACINI (c. 1739– after 1807)
3
Rome, 2nd half 18th century
Bust of Dionysus
After the Antique
Marble
70 cm (27½ in.) high overall
38.5 cm (15¼ in.) wide
42 cm (16½ in.) deep
provenance
Private collection, Europe
fig. 1
Roman, late Hadrianic Period (ad 117–38)
Bust of Dionysus, marble, 54.5 cm
Rome, Musei Capitolini, inv. no. 734
A pupil of Bartolomeo Cavaceppi (c. 1716–1799), Carlo Albacini was not only
a highly successful and noted copyist of antiquities but also a sought-after
restorer, best known for his restorations of the marbles in the prestigious Farnese
collection. Recognized as one of the foremost sculptors patronized by the wealthy,
distinguished Grand Tourists visiting the Eternal City in the late eighteenth
century, Albacini was highly celebrated during his lifetime. Praises and superlatives
abounded over his unrivalled talent as both a sculptor and restorer; indeed, it is
known that numbers of the finest Greco-Roman sculptures that found their way
into English collections passed through his hands. Albacini’s international, elite
clientele included many important figures such as the Bourbon King Ferdinand of
Naples and Thomas Jenkins, the powerful English banker and leading art dealer in
Rome in the early 1770s.
Exquisitely carved, the present work is based on the Roman marble bust of
Dionysus realised during the late Hadrianic period (ad 117–38) and now preserved
in the Capitoline Museums, Rome (fig. 1). A Roman replica after a fourth-century
bc original, the statue was part of a group of sculptures donated by Pope Pius V
(1566–72) to the Palazzo dei Conservatori in 1566. In 1797, it was handed over to the
French under the terms of the Treaty of Tolentino; however, following the defeat
of Napoleon, it was returned to Rome in 1816 and re-installed in the Capitoline
Museums. The bust shows Dionysus as a young man, with his head slightly bent
forward and tilted to the right, fixed in a calm, solemn gaze. The delicate beardless
face is characterized by softly modelled cheeks, a firm chin, straight nose and full
lips. Particularly striking is the luxuriant hair, carved with a remarkable level of
definition and naturalism. The head is crowned with a wreath of ivy leaves, while
his locks are softly tied back with a ribbon that runs across his forehead, framing
his most handsome and youthful countenance.
Balancing classical idealization with carefully observed naturalism, the present
head of Dionysus – the ancient god of wine and revelry, known as Bacchus to
ancient Romans – recalls his youthful appearance in the Homeric Hymn VII:
