Celi Lebron

Prof. William Behnken

A sarcophagus is a container or coffin that is used to bury dead human bodies.

The most commonly used materials in the production of sarcophagi are marble (the finest and

most expensive), stone, lead and wood. During the second century A.D, Roman funerary

practices or traditions changed from the cremation of the bodies to the burial of the bodies. 1

Originally, the Etruscans and the Greeks were the cultures that practiced the inhumation of

burials. However, the change in Roman culture turned the production of sarcophagi to a luxury

industry that was dominated by the regions of Metropolitan Rome, Attic and Asiatic.

In the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) is found a well conserved and adorned three-

dimensional sarcophagus called: Sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysus and the Seasons. It

was carved during the late imperial period, between the years 260 AD and 270 AD. The

sarcophagus was found in Rome, and its first owner was the Cardinal Giulio Alberoni (1664-

1752).2 In 1727, the Duke of Beaufort purchased the sarcophagus from Alberoni and installed it

in the Badminton house in England. As a consequence, the sarcophagus adopted the name of the

Badminton Sarcophagus. Finally in 1955, the MET purchased the sarcophagus from the Duke of

Beaufort and installed it in its exhibitions of Greek and Roman Art, where it continues resting

until today.

1
1. Heather T. Awan, "Roman Sarcophagi". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. (New York: The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000)
2. Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons sarcophagus [Roman] (55.11.5)". In Heilbrunn
Timeline of Art History. (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000)
 People could think that the Badminton Sarcophagus was made in the Eastern

Mediterranean, because the material used for its carving is a type of marble found in Asia Minor,

Phrygia. However, the reality is that this sculpture was carved in Rome, since it has the common

Roman form or style of being decorated on only three sides (on the front and the two short

sides)1, leaving one side without carving. Although the artist of this sarcophagus was unknown, it

is known that sarcophagi of this type were based on patterns and drawings from sculptors’ books.

The most popular subject matters used in the decoration of Roman sarcophagi were

carved garland of plants and fruits, and scenes from the Greek mythology such as wars, Greek

gods and traditions.2 The Sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysus and the Seasons is a

representation of these popular decorations. It has a total of forty human and animal figures,

some of them mythological, along with fruit figures. All these figures are carved in a

dimensional space of 34 x 85 x 36 ¼ in.

In the front panel of the sarcophagus, the figure of the Greek god Dionysus, known as

Bacchus for the Romans, can be seen. He is holding his scepter (the thyrsus) in his left hand and

pouring wine with his right hand while he is riding a big beast that is in family of the cats. To the

right side of Dionysus, there is the figure of a satyr (follower of the god Dionysus) that is holding

the cup where the Greek god is pouring the wine. On each side of Dionysus, there are two male

figures carved with contrapposto positions holding fruit baskets and one of the four is even

holding an animal in his right hand. Figures of little men, animals and fruits baskets are also

carved in the background of the sarcophagus. On the rounded left end, the figure of the mother

1
1.Heather T. Awan, "Roman Sarcophagi". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. (New York: The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000).
2. Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons sarcophagus [Roman] (55.11.5)". In Heilbrunn
Timeline of Art History. (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000).
Earth sitting on the ground can be seen, along with a satyr and the figure of a young man holding

a basket of fruits. On the rounded right side of the sarcophagus, there is the figure of a man with

a bear, along with figures of two angels.

The five principal figures of the Sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysus and the

Seasons are Dionysus and the four male figures that surround him. Dionysus was the Greek god

of wine and vegetation. He was also known as the god of excess and madness, since wine makes

people have questionable behavior while they are under its effects. There are different versions

of the provenance of the god Dionysus, however, it is supposedly known that he taught people

how to cultivate the vine, and he defeated death in different ways. One version says that

Dionysus defeated death by being born twice (rebirth after death). Another version says

Dionysus defeated death by his rebirth every spring when the leaves begin to reappear on the

vine. In addition, a third version says he defeated death by bringing his mother or wife back to

life from the underworld. All these myths related to Dionysus and death made the figures and

scenes from the myth of Dionysus very demanded by Romans when they wanted to order or to

commission the carving of a sarcophagus. In the Sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysus and

the Seasons, Dionysus symbolizes a better life after death, which is “the souls triumph over the

death” by getting back.3

The four male figures surrounding Dionysus represent the four seasons of the year. They

are organized from left to right starting with winter, followed by spring and summer, and

culminating with fall. In Roman sculptures, the seasons are usually represented by female

3
1. Heather T. Awan, "Roman Sarcophagi". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. (New York: The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000)
3. Nancy L. Thomson, “Sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysus and the Four Seasons”. Roman Art: A Resource
for Educators. (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2007), 124.
figures, but in this sculpture they were carved as male figures, making an innovative mark on the

tradition. In mythology and art, the seasons usually appear as companions of many Greek gods,

and they are associated with growth and fertility. In the Sarcophagus with the Triumph of

Dionysus and the Seasons, the season means “the cycle of life, suggesting a recurring rebirth,”

and it also symbolizes the vine’s fertility and growth.3

The mother god is also symbol in the ornamented sarcophagus. She is the goddess who

allows the fruits to grow and controls the seasons of the year. Thus, in this three-dimensional

sculpture the mother god protects the dead body in its travesty during its path from death to

rebirth. Another symbol is the shape of the sarcophagus itself. It is related to the mythology of

Dionysus, since the form of the sarcophagus is a lenos, “a tub-shaped sarcophagus resembling a

trough for pressing grapes.”1

Despite that each figure and even the form of the sarcophagus has a mythological

meaning, it is not exactly known if it had any personal or religious meaning for the person who

commissioned the carving of this sarcophagus. It is believed that the commissioner could have

been a follower of the Mystery Cult of Dionysus, or a wealthy person from the late imperial

period who wanted to represent his knowledge and taste in the Greek culture and mythology.

The reasons are endless, however, it is a fact that the commissioner of the Sarcophagus with the

Triumph of Dionysus and the Seasons had extravagant and expensive taste. This can be said

because the material used in this piece of art had to be imported from Asia to Rome, and its

ornamentation is extremely elaborated and crowded.

3
1. Heather T. Awan, "Roman Sarcophagi". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. (New York: The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000)
3. Nancy L. Thomson, “Sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysus and the Four Seasons”. Roman Art: A Resource
for Educators. (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2007), 124.
 The Sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysus and the Seasons has a conceptual style.

This is because its figures were not carved following the patron of the classical style, known as

naturalism (the search for the perfect imitation of the subject matter). In the beginning of the late

imperial, the Roman had a naturalistic perception, however, the artist of this sculpture carved the

figures as he thought they would be better expressed and displayed. In other words, the artist

carved elongated lines to make the shapes of Dionysus’ and the seasons’ bodies to look

overlarge, fleshy and boneless. Another indication that it is conceptual is the combination of

mythological gods such as the god of wine, the mother god, and the gods of the seasons are

combined and composed in a form not seen before. There are other sarcophagi that represent the

triumph of Dionysus, but with a different context and different style of carving.

Furthermore, the sculpture of the Badminton Sarcophagus used some pictorial devices

such as diminution, diagonal and vertical perspective. He uses the diminution perspective to

minimize the secondary figures and emphasize the main figures. The artist used the diagonal

perspective to organize the large and small figures in a way that they do not interrupt the shape

of each other and their carvings could be seen as single and individual. The vertical perspective

was used to fill out the little spaces in the surface with the little figures. This composition of

pictorial depth techniques managed the space to give a sense of crowdedness and fulfillment to

the sarcophagus.

The carved figures of the sarcophagus have a high relief relation with the space. This

means the figures were carved so deeply that they are almost standing free of the marble. The

texture of the marble used is very hard, white, pure and enormous; however, the surface that was

carved is very polished and smooth.

volumetric form of a cylinder. Consequently, it is noticed that the bodies of the figures have a

rounded shape that gives them symmetry along the origin. As mentioned, the figures are

distorted to give them emphasis, nevertheless, the figures continue portraying a distinct beauty

and syncopation that give them a rhythm of fluidity among the procession of the figures.

It has to be mentioned that during the time this sarcophagus was made, the portrayal of

the curly, long hair style was beginning in the Roman sculptures. This style of representing the

hair has to be carefully carved. “It consists of shapes and carved locks that are separated by

deeply drilled channels that were intersected by tiny struts enriching the texture without

distracting the eyes.” 4

The way that an artist shapes the facial and bodily expressions on his sculptures help to

identify which areas were the most worked in the piece. The form of the faces and the pose of the

bodies of the four male representations of the seasons are the same. They only differ from each

other in the directions that the faces and bodies were directed (two figures are directed or faced

to the right and the others to the left). The face of the God Dionysus is slightly different from the

others; however, it continues having the basic oval shape that the other figures have. In a sense,

this gives the feeling that the sculptor of the sarcophagus was mainly focused on carving a scene

by respecting the individual spaces among the figures, but not giving them an individual facial or

personal description. Nevertheless, it cannot be omitted that he uses some ornaments such as

coronets of plants, fruit baskets, and thyrsus that somehow help to distinguish the figures. This is

a perfect example of the use of the design element of repetition to create content in a piece.

4
4. Kim J. Hartswick, and Mary Cold Sturgeon. Tephanos: Studies in Honor Brunilde Sismon Rigway.
(Upper Museum Archeology, 1998), 121.
 Similarly, we can notice that the artist demonstrates his domain in using the element of

light against dark (chiaroscuro). The Sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysus and the Seasons

is shadowed along its whole structure. The artist varied the depths of his carving to give light to

larger figures and darkness to its ornamented background. This way of carving directs the

spectators’ eyes to the figures carved in a higher scale.

In the marble Sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysus and the Seasons the

representation of nudity is at its maximum splendor, since, the figures are barely covered. The

artist carved some togas or cloaks around the Greek god Dionysus, the four male representations

of the seasons, the mother god and the man with the bear. The togas give a lively and rhythmical

sensation that flows along the figures. The rest of the figures are no covered and the spectator

can admire their mini nudities.

In conclusion, the Sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysus and the Seasons is one of

the finest pieces of private art that is left from the late imperial times of Rome. It is a surviving

example of how the Etruscan and Greek cultures influenced the Roman sculptures, beliefs, and

paintings. Each figure that complements its composition symbolizes and represents a belief or a

god from the Greek mythology. It was established that the meaning of the sarcophagus came

from the composition of the myth of the Greek god Dionysus, the myth of gods of the seasons

and the myth of the mother god, meaning that the sarcophagus is the symbolization of the

procession of the soul from the death to life. To achieve this journey, the soul will be protected

by the mother god and the god Dionysus will rebirth the soul by giving it wine to drink.

According to my understanding, the artist achieved this composition by using an

outstanding balance to manage the space. For these, he applied some pictorial devices and a
deeply style of carving. The meaning of the sculpture is very mystic, however, the way the artist

projected it was a little overwhelmed. Particularly, the first time I saw the sarcophagus I got lost

trying to identify the purposes of the numerous figures in lesser scale. Besides, I got scared the

first time I saw the satyr that is next to the god Dionysus, since I thought it represented a

demoniac figure. Nevertheless, after doing some research and having well-analyzed the

sculpture, I realized that its figures along with its meaning were only the result of the society’s

beliefs during that period of time. Therefore, the influences of the society in the works of art

have always had a significance and important role on their production.