Detail of the Seated God with Lion in the University of Pennsylvania Museum, November 2009

Seated God with a Lion
Roman Imperial period with restorations in Italy in the early 17th century or before

# MS 5483

To judge by his youthful and idealized appearance and the panther skin draped over the rocky seat, and the lion, the seated figure is probably Dionysos. The statue was originally meant to be seen in the round and was probably a decorative piece for a Roman garden or villa. Sometime later, holes were cut through the neck of the lion and the back of Dionysos to create a fountain sculpture. The head of Dionysos, the muzzle of the lion, and fragments of the toes and fingers are restorations probably added in the 15th to early 17th centuries in Italy. The statue was purchased by the University of Pennsylvania Museum from a dealer in 1911 and has a pedigree that goes back until 1622. It illustrates how over the centuries interest in the classical world has waxed and waned, but continues to endure.

Text from the U. Penn. Museum label