Furniture Support with a Statue Procession

Originally part of the base for an unknown object, the top of this relief preserves a cutting with part of a metal clamp for attachment. The surface on which the figures are carved is slightly curved. The scene depicts a ritual procession transporting a cult statue of the wine-god Dionysos to a festival or sanctuary. The bearded god has long hair tied in the rear, wears a long-sleeved tunic, and holds a phiale (libation vessel) in his now-broken right hand. The statue, seated on a folding stool under a canopy supported by four thyrsoi (ritual staffs sacred to the deity), is being drawn on a two-wheeled cart. A youth wearing a short belted tunic and a pilos (conical-shaped cap) leads the two spirited horses. Traces of pigment are preserved on the surface of the marble, especially on the left leg of the charioteer. Reliefs in this style were made in Athens and exported to Italy to decorate Roman villas.