Detail of Dionysos Seated on a Panther in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, September 2018

Marble statue of Dionysos seated on a panther

François Duquesnoy

Period: Imperial

Date: 1st–3rd century A.D.

Culture: Roman

Medium: Marble

Dimensions: Overall: 56 3/8 in. (143.2 cm)
Storage (weight on standard pallett): 843lb. (382.4kg)

Classification: Stone Sculpture

Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Frederick F. Thompson, 1903

Accession Number: 03.12.7


The Latin inscription translates as:

Philetus, a freedman of the Augusti, willingly fulfilled his dedication to the Invincible God Serapis and Queen Isis (of this) small altar with (its) base and two statuettes for his own safety and that of Aurelia Quintiliana.


The reference to two emperors, as indicated by the abbreviation AVGG, suggests a date in the joint reign of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, AD 161–69.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/246990