Bacchus on a panther

Bacchus on a panther The marble group was made by an unknown sculptor around 1900. It depicts Bacchus, the mythological god of wine and fertile forces of nature, as a naked boy wearing a grapevine wreath on his head, sitting on a leaping panther. The composition has a dynamic character. The animal has its front paws raised high and the head with a wide-open muzzle pulled down abruptly by its rider with its cuffs, strongly tilted back. Bacchus presses the reins against himself with his left hand while his right hand is raised. His head is tilted over his right shoulder. His hair is curled and tipped back. The theme of the sculpture is taken from ancient art. The sculpture might have been purchased by Roman Potocki (1851-1915), the owner of Łańcut Castle, in Italy at the end of the 19th century. It was exhibited in the newly created Italian Garden in front of the eastern elevation of the Castle. Barbara Trojnar