Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Appliqué of Ptolemy I as Dionysus
Ptolemy I (ca. 367-283 BCE) was a Macedonian general in Alexander the Great's army and the founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt. This relief probably decorated the curved armrest of a bed or other piece of furniture. Ptolemaic rulers were viewed as divine by their Egyptian subjects. They often chose to portray themselves to their Greek subjects in the guise of figures from Greek mythology, such as the Greek wine-god, Dionysus.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Lambros Collection [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Lambros-Dattari Sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris, June 17-19, 1912, p. 30, no. 254, pl. 17; Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1913, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2016 | Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World. |
| 1988-1989 | From Alexander to Cleopatra: Greek Art of the Hellenistic Age. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Egypt (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 4 1/2 x W: 3 5/16 x D: 1 5/8 in. (11.5 x 8.5 x 4.2 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1913
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
54.598