#dionysos gallery

[mask131]

The Dionysos gallery (3)

We continue our journey down the gallery put together by the Museum of Wine to explore the depictions of Dionysos and his cohorts through the art... Previous item of the gallery was here. Today... Dionysos' entourage. And we begin with...

The Triumphal Cortege of Dionysos, by Maerten van Heemskerck

A) The Procession of Dionysos

(As usual all text here is loosely translated from the website)

The motif of the Procession of Dionysos, or Cortege of Bacchus, tends to be heavily inspired by Ovid's description of this triumphal parade within his Metamorphoses - but it is the culmination of Dionysos' entire earthly life.

To shield baby Dionysos from Hera's wrath, Zeus took him far away from Greece, into the land of Nisa, where he was entrusted to nymphs that raised him. Once adult, Dionysos discovered the grapevine and how to make wine. But Hera struck him with madness, and he wandered throughout Egypt and Syria, before finally reaching Phrygia where the goddess Cybele welcomed him, healed him, purified him and initiated him to her mystery cult. Now sane, he returned to Thrace where the ruling king, Lycurgus, proved himself hostile to the young man and tried to imprison him. Dionysos escaped Lycurgus by fleeing to the Nereid Thetis who welcomed him under the sea. But Lycurgus captured the Bacchants that were with Dionysos - before the god rescued them and struck Lycurgus with madness, making him cut his own leg and kill his son with an axe as he believed he was cutting Dionysos' plant, the grapevine. When Lycurgus regained his sanity, the land was cursed with sterility and the oracle announced only the king's death would return fertility to the soil: he was torn apart by four horses.

Dionysos then left Thrace to go to India. With a magical and supernatural army, he managed to wage war and conquer the land - and this is where the "triumphal procession" motif comes from, as he paraded in a (typically Roman way, since Ovid was the source of descriptions) chariot in a chariot pulled by panthers, decorated with ivy and vine, and followed by Silenos, satyrs, centaurs and Maenads.

Bacchus' Triumph, by Benvenuto Tisi

Bacchus' Triumph by Nicolaes Moeyaert

Here, Bacchus' chariot is a large barrel of wine pulled by two angry panthers. The cohorts of Dionysos are joyful and merry, drinking a lot of wine - but a few details have to be caught. To the right, there is a satyr vomitting. Behind him, there is a knight all in armor, and a sick old man visibly suffering from the gout. The painter was thus trying to warn the audience about the negative consequences of alcohol abuse: near Bacchus' procession, war and disease lurk.

Bacchus' Triumph by Nicolas Poussin

This painting depicts Dionysos' triumphal return after his victories in India. At the bottom right you can see a river-god: he symbolizes the river Indus, and by extension the entire Indian subcontinent. The Oriental nature of the journey is also shown by how a Maenad riding a horse is wearing a leopard's skin. Silenos has a vine in his hand, and while Bacchus holds a thyrsus, his traditional attribute, all the other symbols are however typical of a Roman general and of the "triumphs" of the military of Ancient Rome - for example the red cloak typical of triumphing Roman generals and Roman emperors.

B) Silenos

Silenos is both the teacher and adoptive father of Dionysos, and as such he follows him everywhere. But Silenos is also the personifiction of Drunkenness, and as such he is at the same level as the other minor deities present in Dionysos' parade, such as Comos (merriment/festivity) or Coros (Satiety). From Renaissance onward Silenos became a recurring pictural motif. Tradition depicts him as a joyful and pot-bellied old man, as ugly as he is lustful, his drunk state making him grotesque. "Silenus" also became a generic term to designate an old or elderly satyr.

The Misadventures of Silenus, by Piero di Cosimo

In this painting, Silenos actually appears three times. In chronological order, we first see him at the center of the picture. hile still riding his donkey, he tries to get honey from a hive in a hollow tree, only to be attacked by the bees. On the left we can see him being healed with berry juice, while on the right people are trying to put him back onto his feet.

Drunk Silenus, by Jose de Ribera

Here Silenos appears as an obese human. The one that holds his head is his father, the god Pan.

Drunk Silenus, by Pierre Paul Rubens

C) Satyrs

The satyrs are ambiguous creatures, half-goat half-man, who lived in the wilderness. Associated with the Maenads, they formed together the "Dionysian cortege" that paraded with the god. They are also associated with the god Pan. They are frequently hanging out or flirting with nymphs, minor deities renowned for their youth and beauty. Nymphs are female spirits that inhabit most places within the landscapes: they are found within woods and forests, in valleys and meadows, by streams and rivers, in mountains and grottos... They are also typically associated with various major deities - including Dionysos.

Nymph and Satyr, by Christiaen van Couwenbergh

Two Satyrs, by Peter Paul Rubens

Satyr drinking the juice of a pressed grape, by David de Haen

D) Maenads and Bacchants

The Maenads are the female followers of Dionysos, who escort him in all of his adventures, including his journey to India. They are his servants, not his priestesses, but they do have an important role in his religion and in his worship. They participate to all the mysteries and all the festivals in honor of the god. They are dressed with lion skins, their chest bare, and they hold the thyrsus, a lance surrounded by ivy. They personify the orgiastic spirits of nature, and are renowned for their frenetical dances that place them in a mystical ecstasy. Some heroes fell victim to their inhuman strength - the Bacchants (Roman name of the Maenads) were known to act like ferocious and savage beasts.

The Dance of the Bacchants, by Charles Gleyre

Pentheus hunted by the Maenads, Charles Gleyre

The Death of Orpheus, by Emile Lévy

E) Centaurs

The centaurs are creatures appearing as half-men half-horses. They are part of the Dionysian procession, and for the Ancient Greek they symbolized all of the bestial appetites (drunkenness and lechery). Their fight against the Lapiths was an allegory for the fight between civilization and savagery.

The Battle of the Lapiths and the Centaurs, by Piero di Cosimo

The Battle of the Lapiths and the Centaurs at the wedding of Hippodomy, by Karel Dujardin

Battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs, by Lucas Giordane

These three paintings depict the same legend. Pirithoos married Hippodamia and invited all the Olympian gods to his wedding. However, since there were most guests than the palace could contain, Pirithoos had to place several of them within a cavern nearby - a fresh and shadowy, very pleasant grotto. Within this cavern were Nestor, Caeneus and several Thessalian princes, alongside Pirithoos' cousin the Centaurs. The Centaurs were not used to drinking wine. Upon sensing its smell, they rejected the fermented milk they had been offered, and swallowed all the wine. But in their ignorance, they took the wine without cutting it with water as it was tradition - as such, they took pure alcohol, and became so drunk that when the bride arrived with her handmaidens to salute them, a centaur named Eurytion broke all the furniture and took her by the hair to drag her away. All the other Centaurs imitated him, snatching away all the women and girls (and young boys) they could find, and trying to rape them all. Pirithoos, with the help of Theseus, went to rescue Hippodamia - he cut off Eurytion's nose and ears and, with the help of the other Lapiths, he threw the mutilated Centaur outside of the grotto.

A battle ensued that lasted all night, and during which Caeneus the Lapith was killed. This was the start of a very long war that would forever oppose the Centaurs and their neighbors the Lapiths.

F) A last thought

André Lhote's "Bacchant"

The character of the Bacchant reappeared within the art of the 19th century, all the way to the beginning of the 20th. Originally, the Bacchant attracted the artists in its role of member of the procession of Bacchus, the thiasis - the Bacchant (or Maenad) is primarily the priestess of Bacchus/Dionysos, and has specific attributes: a skin belonging to a wild animal (usually a panther), a cup of wine, a crown of ivy or vine, a thyrsus... But the Bacchant of the 19th century, entirely devoted to the service of the god of wine, becomes a being of flesh. She listens and obeys to her impulses, she shows a savage sensuality, she offers to the artists the possibility to depict an ecstatic, equivocal nudity - not to say licentious. Slowly, painters and sculptors will use the myth as an excuse to depict the eroticism of a body arching and rearing. The bacchant loses her mythological attributes, and becomes simply a naked woman, free from all constraints. However, the idea of drunkenness and sensuality is well-kept.

The Bacchant of André Lhote is an exemple of this new Bacchant: she is a naked and fleshy woman with generous curves. In a posture of lascivity and complete abandon, she eats grapes in honor of Bacchus within a rural landscape. She celebrates the sensuality of the pleasures of life. Rodin created on the same motif erotic drawings that he called "Bacchant". Indeed, to call a naked, sexual model a "Bacchant" was a way to avoid the fury of the numerous "Leagues of Virtue". This results in the ambiguity of the title, since the modern Bacchant is very different from her Antic sister, even though they are united by the presence of wine and grapes.

[starshideurfics]

Thirsty Thursday - Paris, 1890

steddie, omegaverse, artist and muse, mpreg

After five years of struggling and starving, scrimping and saving, choosing to buy paints instead of food, Édouard Munson has become an overnight success. All the wealthy families of Paris want one of his paintings, enchanted by the way he has captured the beauty of his new favored model.

The first to gain notice, “Eos,” features Stéfan from behind, asleep in their shared bed, the rosy light of dawn illuminating his skin, making his hair glow bronze-gold. He covered to the waist with a thin sheet, but he is not cold—unseen to the viewer, the room is well-heated by the stove. Behind him, the indent left by his lover promises he will not be lonely long.As do the tiny indents at his neck.

“Eos” sold the day it was first exhibited.

Next comes “Dionysos,” an outdoor scene, lush with flowers, the young man crowned with laurels and draped with rich, purple silks. He holds a goblet to his lips, eyes closed in gentle ecstasy. Nymphs and satyrs dance in the background, and a rivulet of wine runs down his chin.

The gallery had a buyer lined up before “Dionysus” was put on exhibit.

After came “Apollo,” “Eros,” “Hedone,” and “Helios,” each of them selling for enough that Eddie could easily keep himself and Stéfan comfortable for a few years without selling another. But his heart still cries out to create, so Eddie keeps painting.

“Aphrodite” features a naked Stéfan in the bath, standing, facing away, his plush bottom on display and glistening with water as he reaches for a towel. The gallery owner buys it for himself.

Then, Eddie takes greater risks with his art style, painting Stéfan in rich, dark blues, his body becoming the night sky in “Selene,” each of his beauty marks a golden star, his navel now the moon, his small belly cradled with his hands. He is the whole of the cosmos, caring and sensual.

A collector snaps it up as quickly as possible, proclaiming, “Now he is finding his vision!”

“The Marriage of Hymen” is a further departure, showing a small garden plot. A circle of seeds indent the dirt, next to a flower, its petals pink and red, wet with morning dew. It earns Eddie questions, and Stef blushes at his side. Even so different, it finds a buyer.

He returns to a more realistic style with “Pan.” It features two right hands, fingers slotted together, caressing a small breast. A rosy nipple peaks through a gap in the fingers. The tips of the fingers curl into a thatch of hair at the chest. It goes to the alpha who owns “Eos.”

That is followed by “Psyche,” a closeup of Stéfan in profile, lips parted, the fluttering of his eyelids created by the energetic strokes of Eddie’s paintbrush, the lashes dark with tears. He exhibits it, but refuses to sell, explaining that it was a gift for his omega.

Stef is on his arm and at his side at the gallery then, smiling when the prospective buyers turn to him, begging him to consider their offers. “I am sorry, monsieur, it is too precious a gift. I have been working on my own masterpiece for my husband, and I think this gift almost makes up for it.” His hand rests on his rounded stomach, and he rubs against the kicking of their pup as he gives a teasing wink.

That night, lying together in bed, Eddie holds Stef and kisses his neck. “Sometimes,” he whispers, “It is hard to believe that I have found you. Then I feel your heart beating next to mine and it seems inevitable. My soul knows your soul.” His hand joins Stef’s over their pup in his belly. “I think it always has.”

“It has. That’s why you see me the way you paint me. You see all of me, even the hidden parts—the parts that are only beautiful to you.”

“All of your parts are beautiful,” Eddie insists with a pout.

“Everyone has rough edges, my love, even me.”

“And they are beautiful in their roughness.”

“Eddie…”Stef turns to kiss the pout off his alpha’s lips, struggling because of his pregnant belly, grinning as Eddie rushes to help him. “All I care is that you love me. That you love us.”

Eddie kisses him back, soft and slow and sweet. “I always, always will.”

[kotamagic]

This is late cuz my phone gallery has been a massive bitch tonight, but here goes...

She's still holding him off. Not good, and it gets worse as time goes on. Hades is trying super hard not worry or panic, but it's not helping.

Thanatos is still MIA as well. Even Daphne hasn't heard from him, but now, she's going to be worried too.

Is this "Call Hermes" whistle anywhere in the original myths? Seems kind of a random thing for Hades to have.

Seeking out Ares as "death-adjacent" is a logical path to follow. Given that Aphrodite is with Hephaestus now, you'd think Ares would do his war job....more effectively? You know, MORE people dying rather than less? After all, where there's war, there's death...

Finally, some fucking progress with this! Persephone, you couldn't have dropped at least a little more information as to what's going on? If it was super personal or something someone else isn't supposed to know about, the least you could do it tell your husband!

Excellent question! Did she get PTSD during the wedding night? Did she not enjoy it? Was the dream dive too much for her?

OH.

So.... there are a lot of variations on the origin of Dionysos...

Zeus r*ped Persephone and Dionysos happened.

Zeus slept with Semele and she got pregnant; TL;DR Hera got Semele dead, but Zeus saved the baby by... attaching him to his thigh?

Dionysos and Zagreus are the same deity.

There are other variations, but these are the most common.

In terms of LO, I doubt it's the Zeus/Persephone one. Zeus is an asshole, but pretty sure there are some buttons of Hades/Persephone you DO. NOT. PUSH.

Zeus/Semele is the source I'm guessing Rachel is aiming for, but I could be wrong.

Dionysos is Zagreus? Questionable, but it might be used to explain why he's with Persephone and not with, you know, Zeus up on Olympus. If we're going with the Zeus/Semele origin, then Zeus likely does NOT want Hera to find this kid. Better to try passing him off as his nephew, though with that purple coloration, it's a dead giveaway.

One last thing!

Persephone said the baby is "dying to meet" Hades. Is this a reference to the "death and rebirth" origin? In it, Zagreus is stillborn, but is somehow brought back to life as Dionysos.

Too many ways that this could go!

Anyway, thanks for coming to my LO post.

[voidingintotheshout]

An artist I like on the opposite side of the country is having a tough time. Here is from his latest email: 

WE ARE BEYOND "BROKE"

in fact, we're dealing in a currency of negative numbers in such a way that it's challenging to "be positive". Our "GoFundMe" got up and left without a forwarding address. We're as broke as a wild horse when anyone can ride it.

The best short term fundraising solution we can come up with is this- to spend the next three days during the "LOVE OLY" Festival downtown set up in front of CaTMA Gallery offering "Five Minute Portraits For People Or Pets" at a sliding scale rate of $5-$55!!!

It will be so fun!

These will be quick, loose, creative sumi ink portraits on paper of various sizes that you can take home and frame, send to relatives, whatever you like!

I'll be set up in front of CaTMA Gallery 416 1/2 Washington St out in front Friday 3pm-9pm Saturday and Sunday from noon until as long as I can last. I might take breaks here and there because it will be hot and I don't want to give myself a stroke!

IF YOU ENJOY THE ART AND MUSIC I MAKE there are other ways to support, through downloads of merch or purchase of music- visit my BANDCAMP for music and BIGCARTEL for museum quality prints and occasional sales of original art. I am always open to proposals for special projects, commissions, etc, just ask!

NEXT WEDNESDAY I will be performing with Noel Kennon and others in Seattle at VERMILLION on Capitol Hill, 7pm on June 26.

SUNDAY JULY 7th I will be performing in Portland at NO FUN along with Half Bird and Negative Concord. That is going to be one wild bill. Like a billygoat gruff in musical form.

KEEP THE LOVE ALIVE I hope everyone out there is doing ok. My artist friends in Haiti are definitely worse off than I am right now, and it's frustrating not being able to help them in their time of need either, but hopefully once I'm back on my feet we can launch another round of fundraising for the Haitian art collectives I've been working with too.

yours truly, Arrington de Dionyso

venmo: @ArringtonD paypal: arringtond@gmail.com

Note: I have not vetted these payment links, so do your research before you directly send money to anyone you don’t know. I do have a lot of his albums, and they are the type of brash, annoying, free, jazz stuff that some people enjoy and many people don’t like. 

Catma Gallery: 416 1/2 Washington St SE, Olympia, WA 98501

His Bigcartel and Bandcamp:

[busaccagallery]

For Sale 🔥 Ancient Sicilian Coin Head of Athena With Seastar And 2 Dolphins

See rare and unusual collectibles at

🔥 Busacca Gallery

#Coins #Coin #AntiqueCoin #AncientCoin #AncientArt #AncientDesign #Currency #Money #AncientMoney #CoinCollection #CoinCollectors #Collectors #Collection #Art #Design #InteriorDesign #GreekCoins #ItalianCoins #eataly #Sicily #SicilianCoins #ItalianArt

[mycapturesmylife]

Today was art day. I visited a new art gallery. Totally unexpected. Happiness overload. The theme was winery and Bacchus as the main exponent of it.

I have no words to express how happy art makes me. I see art as expression of life and history, and it is one of the richest experience as a human being.

[felsefebilim]

Dionysos ve Ariadne

İtalyan ressam Tiziano Vecellio’nun ‘Dionysos ve Ariadne’ isimli 1495 yılında yapılmış eseri şu anda Londra’da National Gallery’de bulunmaktadır.

Eser Dionysos’un Naksos adasına ulaştığında Ariadne ile karşılaşmasını konu almaktadır.  Eserin detaylarını vermeden önce Dionysos ve Ariadne’nin mitine kısaca değinmek istiyorum. Sevgilisi Theseus ile Naksos adasına kaçan Ariadne, sevgili tarafından uyandığında terkedilmiş olduğunu görür. Daha sonra bu adaya gelen Dionysos, Ariadne’yi görünce ona aşık olur ve onunla evlenir ve Olimpos’a götürür. Evliliğin şerefine de onun için özel yapılmıış bir taç hediye eder. Ariadne’nin ölümü sonrasında bu değerli taç, tanrılar tarafından gökyüzünde yıldızlara dönüştürülür ve Ariadne ölümsüzleştirilir.

Gelelim Tiziano Vecellio’nun eserine... 

Eserde, Tanrı Dionysos, kaplanların çektiği arabasından inerken, güzel Ariadne’nin ona doğru gelişini büyülenmiş şekilde izlemektedir. Dionysos’un çevresinde görülenler Maniadlar ve satyrlerdir, tef çalıp eğlenerek adaya ulaşmalarını kutlarlar. 

Mitolojide Satyr, yarı insan yarı hayvan (belden aşağısı keçi gibi olan kuyruklu) dır. Satyrler; Tanrı Dionysos’la kırlarda gezer, şarap içer, emirlerini yerine getirir, ulak olarak görev yaparlar. Resimde en önde sakalları ve şekilsiz suratıyla dikkat çeken Silenos da bir bilge satyrdir ve Dionysos’un yetiştirilmesinde önemi büyüktür, onun akıl hocalarındandır. Maniadlar ise, Dionysos’u bebekken alıp besleyen, büyüten nymphalara verilen isimdir. Genellikle ellerinde şarap kupası yer alır.

Ariadne’nin bulunduğu alanda gökyüzündeki yıldızlar dikkat çekmektedir. Tiziano, bu yıldızlarla Ariadne’nin tacının yıldız olarak göğe alınması mitine gönderme yapmaktadır. 

[seaofwine]

Hades and Persephone

For the spring equinox, and the return of Persephone to the world above and the welcoming of spring, here are my favorite pieces of art depicting Hades and Persephone.

This is part 6 of this series: the links for Apollon, Artemis, Hermes, Dionysos, and Ariadne can be found here.

Disclaimer: Most artists outside of antiquity used Hades/Pluto/Persephone/Proserpina interchangeably for a myriad of cultural and religious reasons. I do understand that they are syncretized deities with different aspects in Greek and Roman society respectively.

In order: 1) Pluto and Proserpina by Joseph Heintz, c. 1678, private collection. 2) Orpheus before Pluto and Persephone by Francois Perrier, 1645, Musee de Louvre, Paris. 3) Persephone by John William Waterhouse, 1912, private collection. 4) The Return of Persephone by Frederick Leighton, 1891, Leeds Art Gallery, West Yorkshire. 5) The R. of Persephone by Bernini, 1622, Borghese Gallery, Rome. 6) The Return of Persephone by Luca Giordano, c. 1705, unknown private collection. 7) Persephone of Cyrene. 8) Demeter and Kore.

[yourbespokeartisanalapocalypse]

Where’s Laura Alma-Tadema?

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema was one of the most popular and successful painters of 19th-century Britain, known for his sumptuous scenes of classical Greece and Rome. One fun thing about his paintings is that he often used his wife, Laura Alma-Tadem (also an artist - I’ll have to do a post about her work sometime) as a model, sometimes in the foreground but more often in the background. Once you know to look for her, it’s like a game of Where’s WallyWaldo!

Here she is in a photograph with her husband Lawrence:

Source: National Portrait Gallery.

If I tell you that her hair is red, see if you can spot her in the following paintings (hopefully Tumblr won’t squish them too much!). I’ll put answers and explanations in a cut at the end (again, hopefully this will work!). Images are my own photographs from an art book.

Let’s start with an easy one while you get a feel for what you’re looking for. I’ll give you a close up of this too because it’s so long...

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, A Hearty Welcome (1878).

Ok, here’s another relatively easy one...

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Strigils and Sponges (1879).

And now some trickier ones...

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Spring (1894).

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, The Parting Kiss (1882).

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, The Women of Amphissa (1887).

Answers below...

A Hearty Welcome is set in Pompeii, but the woman in the garden is Laura Alma-Tadema and the two girls are her step-daughters from the painter’s first marriage, Laurence (I know, right?!) and Anna. The man coming down the steps is the painter, Lawrence. I’m not at all sure who the woman peeking out from the far left is - perhaps his first wife maybe? Idk. Answers on a post card.

Strigils and Sponges is a scene from a Roman bath house. Alma-Tadema got away with a lot of sensuous nudity and voyeuristic scenes because of his classical setting (c.f. my post on Manet’s Olympia). Laura Alma-Tadema is the woman bent over in the foreground.

Spring shows the servants of the Temple of Flora celebrating the Roman festival of Cerealia. The painting was framed with an accompanying verse from Swinburne:

In a land of clear colours and stories,

In a region of shadowless hours,

Where earth has a garment of glories

And a murmur of musical flowers.

It was painted over four years and figures were constantly added and removed until finally it featured an array of the artist’s friends and family. Laura Alma-Tadema I think is his wife in the very centre of the painting on the balcony with her hand raised.

The Parting Kiss is one of my favourites for this game. There’s Laura peeking her head around the door on the right, underneath the umbrella. The painting itself is a Roman street scene with a woman saying goodbye to her daughter as she leaves to join the crowds heading to the ampitheatre in the background. 

The Women of Amphissa is an interesting one and one of the last one’s he did depicting a dated historical event. Each year in Amphissa there was a festival dedicated to Dionysos, but in 350BC the region was full of soldiers from Phocis and there were fears that the revellers, exhauted by their “religious frenzy” (a literal bacchanalian orgy), might be..er..vulnerable to assaults. To protect the revellers, the women of the town surrounded them throughout the entire thing and then, in the morning, fed them and escorted them to safety. Laura Alma-Tadema is in the very centre of the protective women, dressed in the darker clothes.

[mask131]

The Dionysos gallery (2)

Next on our travel down the Dionysos museum, we have an entire section dedicated to the Bacchanals in painting - with a few analysis here and there.

Titien's The Bacchanal of the Andrians

The Museum's website adds that this depicts the legend of how Dionysos gifted the inhabitants of the island of Andros with a river of wine. It was one of the numerous "miracles" attributed to the god by folk-belief when he became the god of the grapevine. Already in his "Bacchants" Euripides had told how, by touching a stone with his thyrsus he created a stream of fresh water, and where his narthex had touched the ground a stream of wine flowed ; and those that sought milk only had to scratch the ground near the god to see it flow, and from the god's thyrsus honey dropped...

In Ionia, on the island of Teos, a similar legend existed: it was said, by Diodor of Sicily and Pline the Elder, that at a fixed date in a calendar a stream of wine regularly flowed. At Elis, on the eve of the god's feast-day, empty jars and jugs were sealed and left alone in Dionysos' temple: by the morning, when they were opened, they were filled to the brim with wine.

Giovanni Bellini and Titien's The Feast of the Gods

The museum adds this mention: the painting is a depiction of the legend of Lotis collected by Ovid. One night, as the gods had a feast, the nymph Lotis fell asleep. Priapus got close to her, and with his famous ithyphallic nature, he decided to rape her. But as he was about to touch her body, the donkey of Silenus started making loud noises - waking up everybody, including Lotis. Lotis fled from Priapus' embrace, and all the gods laughed and mocked the god.

This painting was most notably the favorite painting of Fernand Botero.

Dosso Dossi's Bacchanal with a drunk Silenus and Bacchants frolicking around grapevine

Niccolo Frangipane's Bacchanal

Nicolas Poussin's Bacchanal

Nicolas Poussin's Bacchanal with a guitar player ; also called "Great Bacchanal"

Nicolas Poussin's Bacchic Scene

Pier Francesco Mola's Bacchus supervising the Satyrs pressing wine

Gerrit van Bronckhorst's Bacchanal with Silenus

Jacob van Loo's Scene with Bacchants

Michaelina Wautier's Bacchanal

Jacques Jordaens' Bacchanal

Giulio Carpioni's Bacchanal

Michel-Ange Houasse's Bacchanal

Francesco Zuccarelli's Bacchanal

[finnish-art-gallery]

Juopunut Dionysos (?), Etienne Delaune, Finnish National Gallery

http://kokoelmat.fng.fi/app?si=C+625%3A11

[michael-svetbird]

: • The "PORTRAITS OФ AMAZONS" MSP Gallery • PART 12: Red- Black-figured Apulian, Attic, Etruscan and Laconian pottery closeup~details, from: - MArTA Taranto - Altes Museum @staatlichemuseenzuberlin - MNEVG @museoetruscovillagiulia - MANaM @museoarcheomarche - BM @britishmuseum . [ Previous sets: #portraitsofamazons or visit my FB / DA Online Galleries ] To be continued.. . 1. • AMAZON Archeress Shooting an Arrow Detail of Apulian Red-figure Volute Krater w/ Amazonomachy, the Olympian Deities, Centaurs & Satyrs [by the Painter of the Birth of Dionysos-?] 400-380 BC. Museo Archeologico Regionale Taranto MArTA 08|20 MSP 3000X3000 300dpi . 2. • AMAZON Attacked by a Greek Detail of Etruscan Red-figured Amphora depicting Amazonomachy Ca 380 BC. From Vulci, Tarquinia Altes Museum | Staatliche Museen zu Berlin "Foreign Trade"~Images of Foreigners @staatlichemuseenzuberlin AM 04|18 MSP 3000X3000 300dpi . 3. • TWO AMAZONS Fighting Heracles Detail of Laconian Black-figure Kylix by the Arkesilas Painter [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkesilas_Painter] 557-550 BC. From Sparta Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia @museoetruscovillagiulia MNEVG 02|19 MSP 3000X3000 Phcam . 4. • AMAZON w/ Pelta & Pointed Battle-axe Detail of Laconian Red-figure Kylix-type Footed Plate Attributed to the Schwerin Group End of the 5th c BC. From Quagliotti area, Sirolo|Numana, Ancona, Excavations 1965-67 [Picena Necropolis, Tomb 185] Museo Archeologico Nazionale delle Marche, Ancona @museoarcheomarche MANaM 08|20 MSP 3000X3000 300dpi [PS-increased closeup, sorry for pixelation & reduced qlty] . 5. • PENTHESILEA Detail of Attic Black-figured Amphora w/ Achilles & Penthesilea by Exekias [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exekias] 530-525 BC. Athens British Museum @britishmuseum BM 11|18 MSP 3000X3000 Phcam . #berlin #rome #ancona #london #archaeologicalmuseum #historymuseum #vasepainting #ancientart #redfigure #blackfigure #ancientpottery #ancientceramics #attica #apulia #etruscan #laconia #krater #amphora #kylix #ancient #archaeology #ancienthistory #antiquity #mythology #penthesilea #amazons #archaeologyphotography #museumphotography #michaelsvetbird 18|20 ©msp @michael_svetbird sorry for the watermarks https://www.instagram.com/p/CMZQHmFLYhR/?igshid=975ram965581

[mermaidmafia-official]

{PART III: THE BLOODMOTHER}

written by: @bebemoon

outfit ref: i can’t draw to save my life, but i tried ! so, here is ysa’s eros costume for the ball- metal armour chest strap, pearls and gold harness, four diaphanous trains/veils hemmed in white feathers to mimic eros’ wings, golden armlets and thigh band. bow and quiver of arrows for good measure. yoni-out, as promised.  

tag list: @interluxetumbra​ @ayzrules​ @vampirkaninchen​ @blubbingbeautifully

[PESTILENCE IS A REDHEAD] 

"Cyborée told me what you and Yinmei want to do."

Poppy's jaw was set. She never seemed more like a child, standing there barefoot and fuming after being informed that she was disallowed from attending Greggor's party.

The Bloodmother used her foot to kick aside the tantrum-made wreckage covering the floor of Poppy's bedroom. Splintered wood, ripped bed clothes, down feathers, shredded books, shattered and bloodied glass. Even the brand-new chandelier was hanging by a thread. The entire room was completely destroyed.

Poppy stood amid the chaos with her hands behind her back, an arist displaying her work in a gallery. She, not unlike her dwelling, was in disarray. Her hair was unbrushed, her eyes wild. Her clothes were ripped from being caught up in the swing of a firepoker- which was rested in what was left of the bed.

Ysabelle sighed, her eyes roving the walls now denuded of their golden Chinoise panels. The remnants lay curled and crumpled on the floor. "Do tell," she muttered, distracted.

Poppy tightened her teeth. "You're planning to put me to sleep. Just like Amare."

"Oh, I would never," replied Ysabelle. "If you were unconcious, who would be here to cause me endless inconveniences?"

Poppy died a child. Of course, she had existed well past her teen years, but she was frozen in the mindset of a fifteen year old. She still threw tantrums when she didn't get her way, and whatever she wanted, she took without a moment's thought. Years with the Coven, and Ysabelle felt it was for nothing. Nothing had settled her. Poppy didn't care any more for her sisters than she did Paulette Maminot.

And, with Ysabelle's agedness apparently catching up with her, she couldn't see herself tangling with Poppy any longer.

The girl shook her head. "No, you can't," she said, her voice cracking. "You can't."

Ysa said nothing. Her dark eyes were pinned to a dark red stain on the rug underfoot.

"You can't," Poppy repeated, low. "If you even try, I'll-"

"You'll what?" Ysabelle finally gave her gaze to the redhead, but she did not lift her voice. She turned her body slowly. "I am curious."

The girl looked away, her jaw clenched.

"Threaten me, Popelina?" said the Bloodmother, her voice soft yet unholy. In a blink, she was before the girl, taking her pallid face between her thumb and forefinger. Her nails dimpled the flesh of Poppy's cheeks. "My eyes have seen much and I have faced grotesqueries no one, certainly not you, could imagine."

Poppy remained still, her eyes downcast from the Bloodmother's.

Ysabelle could overlook certain things, but to be threatened by someone she had moved heaven and earth for on more than one occasion, had threatened the survival of her Coven-

It was like being spit at over and over.

"A spoiled brat with the cognitive capacity of a pond leech, I do not fear," said Ysa, and she released Poppy's face, leaving behind a pair of thin lacerations that healed over almost immediately. "Do not forget, I rescued you from under the Shiveleys. And all you have done since to repay me is routinely step out of line."

Poppy's face was pinched with distaste over being handled. She eyed Ysabelle but wisely kept silent.

Ysa turned away, her mind already made up. "You have your wish," she said. "Get dressed."

Though she was not looking at Poppy, she could feel the tension lessen. She said, "You mean, I can go to the ball?"

"Yes, you can go."

Poppy was baffled into a few beats of silence. Then: "Why-"

"Oh?" Ysabelle lilted. "Shall I explain myself to the likes of you?"

With the prospect of a little freedom looming near, all defiance had melted away. The response was quick. "No, Mother."

The Bloodmother went to the bedroom door and knocked to be let out by Zammurad who had been keeping a watchful eye on Poppy over the past few days.

Before Ysa left, she told the girl, "I will send someone to fetch you."

-

[A LITTLE PARTY] 

The night deepened, and the Coven, in all their costumed finery, gathered in the garden to travel as one.

By flight, it would've taken some time to reach Lord Greggor's island. Therefore, the method of travel was a simple step through space and shadow, through a world known only to the half-dead. And, in a blink, where once the Coven of Bilitis House had been standing together in their own frost-ridden gardens, they now stood on a broken stone terrace that was being gently lapped by the night-black Adriatic.

Even over the din of the sea, the sounds of string music and lifted voices could be heard. Beneath the salty air, an unmistakable, redolent scent.

Ysabelle, in the (un)dress of the god Eros, gathered Lia to her side and led the group up a set of ancient steps to a loggia where shadows moved here and there, appearing and disappearing in pairs. Hushed voices tickled the ears of the undead.

Beyond the loggia, the moon lit a courtyard of spindly trees and a massive, ornate fountain where dozens had gathered in mirthy spirit. The smell of blood was strong there, and already much of the Coven was moving away from Ysabelle, drawn towards the fragrant scarlet waters spilling from the mouths of stone fish and the breasts of nymphs, staining the white stone tiers dark. Vampires were swimming in the fountain, splashing in it, screaming delirious in it, unaware of all else around them.      

Even Lia, her butterfly wings shivering on her back, was being lured away, but Ysabelle held her close to her side. The blood fountain was nothing, she was certain, compared to whatever was to be found within Greggor's villa.

Once they passed through the courtyard, only Zhang, Poppy, and Pixie remained with Ysa and Lia. The five stepped through a stone archway and into another walkway with worn mosaic floors depicting bloody rituals and bacchic scenes of debauchery, most of which was so perverse as to not be suited for the eyes of...well, anyone. And the awful string music swelled in their ears as they neared a marble terrace with rows of Ionic columns, lit with warm light spilling out from within the villa.

In the light of the lavish villa entrance, a raving cacophony of raised voices and hellish strains met them first, followed by the overwhelming scent of blood. But that was to be expected.

Then the wide open spread of the banquet hall, brimming with warm-lit bodies in outlandish, ancient raiment and one or two wearing comically-costumey minotaur heads (and not much else along with it). Dancing, mostly, but there were quite a few...feasting, as mortals were present. Most of their young eyes were unfocused and wild. Drugged, Ysa guessed.

To the living present, the villa must've smelled terrible.  

At the head of the only table was the host, Lord Greggor in the animal-skinned attire of Dionysos. He could not be missed for his girth was not something at which any mortal could survive. Nonethless, he was ivy-crowned and glittering in golden baubles, surrounded by his surviving brides (who were all dressed as nymphs in airy chitons). Two of the women were carrying around amphoras of blood to serve the guests, while another pair bore golden trays of what could only be desribed as "viscera" for their husband.

Ysabelle leaned into Lia so that she could hear her over the noise. "I need to speak with Greggor," she said into Lia's ear. "Stay close to Zhang."

Lia only nodded. Her bright eyes were all over the place, attempting to take the entire scene in.

Zhang, on the other hand, appeared as through she would've much rather plucked out her own eyes than spare a moment to watch over Lia. But she would do it if she had to, at the Bloodmother's behest.

Ysa mouthed a quick "thank you" to her friend before taking hold of Poppy's wrist. "Come," she told the redhead. The music was screeching insistantly now.

"We must greet our host."

-

[SEND IN THE WOLVES] 

As Ysabelle led Poppy through the crowd of revelers, Poppy's head swiveled every which way- her senses pulling her in every direction.

"Why do I have to greet him?" Poppy asked, raising her voice as they slid through a tightly-packed group of Vampires.

Ysa pretended not to hear.

They reached the table, and Greggor spotted them immediately. He chortled, setting his belly into motion, and seemed to have an epiphany. He gave a small hand signal that apparently released his wives from his side for they all stepped away as Ysa and Poppy came forward. The brides left the hall together, tittering excitedly among themselves.

"My Lord," said Ysabelle pleasantly. "Eros greets you."

Lord Greggor regarded her costume and chuckled again. Then: "My Lady is daring as ever."

Ysabelle brought an openly beumused Poppy forward, ignoring Greggor's comment. "Lord, I heard of your recent loss," she said, pressing her hand over her chest to indicate her sympathy. "I wanted to offer mine and my Coven's condolences."

Greggor's grin slowly faded into an expression of profoud wistfulness. "Morbida, you mean," he said on a sigh. "She was...a disappointment. You must know how difficult it is to find true companionship at our age. I suppose we had little in common, but...she never gave me a proper chance. I had to do what I did."

"Anyone who would treat you so poorly deserves their fate," Ysa lied. "If there's anything I can do to help-?"

The corpulent Vampire brightened immediately. "I am searching for someone new, to take Morbida's place in my heart and mind," he said. His beady eyes did skip to Poppy but only for a moment. "If you know of anyone suitable...?"

Ysabelle feigned a little gasp. "It's fate, my Lord," she pronounced, indicating Poppy at her side. "Popelina would be perfect for you. What do you think?"

"Mother," Poppy uttered sharply, clearly panicked. She could not outright reject him. Greggor's ego would not stand for it, especially before all of his peers- there would likely be violent reprecussions if she spoke against him.

Lord Greggor beamed, ecstatic. "Eros indeed. Do you know, I was just thinking the same," he laughed. He beckoned Poppy with his swollen hand. "Come, come, my dear. Come stand next to me. Let us get to know one another."

Poppy hesitated, but helpless, she eventually did as she was told.  

Ysabelle regarded the pair with false softness. "A match if I ever saw one," said she, spreading her hands.

She did not intend to give Poppy over to Greggor, she only wished to frighten the girl into better behaviour in the future. Before the night was out, she would perhaps see that some things were worse than being put to sleep for a few years. 

Greggor motioned to one of the trays left behind by the brides, and Poppy, indignation colouring her aura, leaned over the table to take up a handful of gore to feed the Lord with her own hands. It was an upsetting scene for anyone to witness.

Ysa turned away as if to leave the table, but Greggor called her back.

He said, "You might want to stay put, my Lady. I have a surprise that I think you might enjoy. My brides are fetching them now."

Out of politeness, Ysabelle remained at the table while Poppy continued to feed Lord Greggor. Surprises, she did not care for. 

Across the hall, she could see Lia who was being twirled by a mortal, and by the looks of it, it was not anything the mortal wished to be a part of. She twirled and twirled, her butterfly wings fluttering prettily behind her. Then, without warning, she snapped at his throat. 

At the same time, a terrible stench was growing. And there was a sound that would set any Vampire on edge. 

Ysa wasn’t the only one to hear and smell it. Almost everyone was craning in the same direction now- towards the back archway the brides had disappeared through earlier. 

The music continued on. 

And a moment later, the brides were back, but not alone. In a display so strange, Ysa could not have concieved of it in her most diabolical nightmares, the Lord’s cackling brides appeared holding thick silver chains at the ends of which were thickly muzzled Wolves. Five, all together. Restless and tugging at their restraints, but impressively, being tightly controlled by the brides, some of whom were at the reigns of more than one Wolf. The biggest, for instance, seemed to be limping, but was still being held by three women. 

The Vampire and mortal crowd responded instantly by backing up, murmuring sharply and cursing among themselves.  

“What is this?” Ysabelle demanded. 

Greggor bellowed in laughter. “My friends!” he shouted jovially. The music stopped then. “A treat! You see my brides captured these fellows on a hunt- and I thought I might share their triumph with you all!” 

A smattering of applause followed that, but for the most part, the Vampires were wary. 

Sensing this, Greggor added, “Come, come, my friends. There is nothing to fear- these dogs are wrapped securely in silver! Pathetic, aren’t they?” 

Some agreement went around the room. 

“Tonight,” sang Greggor, lifting his arms with some doing, “we take the mutts’ heads!” 

At that announcement, the Vampires roared with approval. The music and dancing started up again. 

The brides went to chain the Wolves in the courtyard so that they could be observed by the guests. 

“And how fortunate,” Greggor added to Ysabelle, “to have the fabled Mother of Wolves present for such an important event.” 

Ysa watched the prisoner Wolves being paraded through the hall, being hissed and laughed at... 

No good would come of this.   

[greekromangods]

Dionysos with a Panther

Hellenistic or Early Roman, ca. 150 BC–AD 100

Graeco-Roman (Culture)

Marble

Yale University Art Gallery

** Visit my Links page for my other blogs & Facebook Pages

[themetinpics]

pponte x #Met #nyc

Statue of Dionysos leaning on a female figure x Greek and Roman Art, Gallery 162

[arringtondedionyso]

THIS SAXOPHONE KILLS FASCISTS- Arrington de Dionyso and Ted Byrnes on drums. 

at the Luggage Store Gallery- with Ken Ueno and Matt Ingalls opening