Silenus Holding the Infant Dionysus at The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

myminifactory

This is one of many copies of an original sculpture of the late 4th century BC from the school of Lysippos. The most popular, well-refined copy can be found at The Louvre, made for the Borghese collection (Ma 922, MR 346, available on MyMiniFactory).  The age Silenus, tutor and companion of the god of wine Dionysus, cradles the god who is here shown as a baby. The figure was first identified as a faun. One early critic, however, preferred to see him as Saturn about to devour one of his children. It is a sculpture that celebrated than it is today. It was praised greatly by writers and aesthetes in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and was frequently reproduced in France, Italy and the UK. Its ownership changed a number of times between 1569 when it is first recorded, and 1807 when Napoleon acquired it for France. The original has been extensively restored in grey-veined marble and plaster.    This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.Scanned : Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)