Here is a sculpture from the 2nd century CE, probably a Roman copy of an older Greek work. Its detailed origin is unknown. At first, the entire group may evoke mixed feelings and unhealthy associations. Indeed – from our perspective, a naked adult young man with a much younger and also naked boy does not look good.
However, when we break away from our cultural and moral conditions for a moment and adopt the cultural code of the ancient Greeks and Romans, we will discover something completely different. The man on the left is Bacchus/Dionysus, as evidenced by the bunch of grapes he holds in his right hand and the chalice in his left. The boy is Cupid (Cupid/Eros). The wings are clearly visible behind his back. Unfortunately, the objects held by Cupid have not been preserved, but it can be assumed that they were arrows and a bow – characteristic attributes of this idol.
When we realize who the sculpture represents, it turns out that its meaning is completely different from the one that probably first came to our mind.
Bacchus is the god of fun, fertility, wild nature, vines and wine and everything related to wine. Here, Bacchus raises a bunch of grapes high and embraces Cupid with his left arm. So we are not looking at the representation of a naked boy as a victim used by an adult man for lewd and perverse purposes. On the contrary – in mythology, Cupid was rather a mischief-maker who was able to influence their fate with his arrows directed at both people and gods.
It is hard to resist the impression that the gods depicted in this sculpture are in fact two partners – fun and alcohol intoxication go hand in hand with love – also (or perhaps above all!) the physical one. Here Cupid clearly looks at Bacchus, and his look is questioning. “How much longer?” seems to be saying. Could this be a sign that courtship should wait until the moment when alcohol will make the task easier? Bacchus’ attitude is quite condescending – he hugs Cupid as if to show him: “Wait for your turn…” :-) Bacchus’ nonchalant stance on one leg and bent hip show off his self-confidence. Bacchus knows that the effects of wine are only a matter of time…
The sculpture is therefore far from the perversion that we would be inclined to attribute to it at first instinct. On the contrary – the message of the author of the sculpture is rather funny – the sculptor clearly winks at the viewer. :-)
The sculpture is in the collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. Photo: Michał Kubicz.
