DionysusInfancyANCIENT

DionysusInfancyANCIENT_Praxiteles

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Pausanias 5.17.3

Praxiteles, "Hermes with the Infant Dionysus," mid 4th Century BC, Olympia Archaeological Museum (discovered 1877)

Considering the mythical context, i.e. that Dionysus is the twice-born child divinity, Hermes' role here seems like the role of psychopompos and not far different from his participation in Persephone's Return.

Hermes is entrusted with the challenging task of recovering the infant Dionysus from the thigh of Zeus for delivery to the nymphs who will raise him. The whole escapade must be hidden from Hera, for she had arranged the brutal death of Semele.

Something in the god's right hand interests the divine child; the left hand may have held a caduceus. Hermes is depicted in a form of youthful adulthood. Ever the new-comer, Dionysus here is even younger than his youthful half-brother.

Of art-historical interest: The brace on Hermes' left hip seems to challenge the theory that this is actually a 4th-century Greek original. And other aspects of this important work spark new controversy regarding its date all the time.

OGCMA slides are designed by Roger T. Macfarlane for use in Classical Civilization 241 courses at Brigham Young University.
The present resource contains information assembled for The Oxford Guide to Classical Mythology in the Arts, 1400 – 1990’s, edited by J. Davidson Reid (Oxford 1994), and it is used with express permission from Oxford University Press.
Address concerns or inquiries to macfarlane@byu.edu.