Mural painting
attributed to Vincenzo Valdre (1740-1814)
Category
Art / Wall paintings
Date
1770 - 1800
Materials
Paint, Plaster
Measurements
380 x 1430 mm
Order this imageCollection
Calke Abbey, Derbyshire
NT 293043.3
Summary
A wall painting by Vincenzo Valdre (1740-1814) located on the east wall of the Dining Room in Calke Abbey. The painting is contained within a plaster frame and is painted in oil. This painting depicts Greek and Roman references. The painting depicts the typical Dionysian rites with an altar, on which a sacrifice is burning and Maenads dancing around a Herm (an image of the god). Maenads are the female followers of the Greek god Dionysus, who was the god of the grape-harvest and fertility. The painting may show a sacred marriage ritual in the Dionysian mysteries and is thus connected with purification and fertility. There are nine figures and one statue of Dionysus in the painting.
Makers and roles
attributed to Vincenzo Valdre (1740-1814), maker