Bust of a bacchante

Nicola Morelli

1820–38 · Onyx · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

In these cameos of devotees of Bacchus, Nicola Morelli, a shrewd judge of the coloristic capacities of hardstones, did not merely copy himself: In the gem on the left (40.20.44), with a goatskin and more complex tresses, he exploited four strata, the topmost being the pink of the grapes. In that on the right (40.20.45), in three layers, he investigated the uppermost layer of brown to define the grapevine against the pallid flesh of the girl, who seems even less in control of her senses.

Artist

Nicola Morelli

Date

1820–38

Medium

Onyx

Culture

Italian, Rome

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

The Milton Weil Collection, 1940