The Excavation of Antioch-on-the-Orontes 1932-1939

a1250-M123c

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House of Dionysus and Ariadne (House 1) See all items with this value

House I Roman building

H. 2.58 W. 2.77 Room I. "Ariadne, Bacchus, Silenus and Bacchante"Border: yellow crowstep on black on either side of a band of red. Emblema: bordered with two rows of black. The field is organized within an architectural framework consisting of a) a frieze of eagles and griffins, b) cornice with entablature, c) wall enclosed by Corinthian pilasters, divided into one central panel and two side panels with two free-standing columns, and d) base. The background of the frieze is black. At each corner is an eagle outlined in black; his body is in yellow and ochre with grey-green shadows and white highlights; wings the same colors with the addition of light grey shadows along the feathers of the wing on the right, light violet, grey-brown, and dark brown; eye composed of two deep blue glass tesserae. On each projecting entablature stands a three-handled cup in yellow ochre with white highlights and red and violet shadows. These are balanced by a much larger central cup carried out in the same colors, with one line of grey and a filling of grey-green in the center. Between the central cup and those resting on the projecting entablature are two griffins, one on each side, modelled in white, grey, yellow, ochre, grey-green, grey-brown, and violet. The cornice, outlined with a single row of white, is red with a black band at top and bottom, then an area of yellow with a red and white band at the top, and a white and black band at the bottom; the final area is grey-brown at the left, grey-green in the center, and red at the right; it is concluded with a single row of white. The row of dentils begins with a line of blue glass; each dentil is shaded in black; its front is light grey and white, its under-surface black. The shadows cast by the projecting entablatures are carefully indicated with their corresponding color changes but these are too elaborate to give in detail. Next follows a frieze of oval medallions linked by swag-like lines. The main lines of the motif indicated in black, grey-green, ochre, and violet limestone with the background filled in with light blue and light and dark green glass. The lower part of the entablature repeats the yellow area above crossed by white and red bands and concludes with a line of grey-green. The wall containing the three panels is enclosed by two Corinthian pilasters in dull violet, the capital indicated by black and grey, with white highlights. The pilaster on the left is bordered by two rows of black to indicate shadow, that on the right by two rows of pink. These pilasters are repeated in the same colors on either side of the central panel. The principal motifs which divide the wall into three panels are the two free-standing columns beneath the projecting entablatures. These are composed, from left to right, of vertical rows of tesserae, first one row of brown limestone, then one row of yellow, one row of what was once light green glass, two rows of white limestone, one row of what was light green glass, one row of yellow, one row of brown, two rows of red, and finally one row of light grey limestone. The Corinthian capitals are elaborately drawn in black, red, and brown with highlights in white limestone and light green glass. The scene of the central panel is that of Bacchus in female dress appearing to the sleeping Ariadne, with a small Eros in the background. Best preserved is the figure of Ariadne in the lower right corner; she is half reclining, one hand at her throat, the other resting on the ledge beside her; her face is in flesh tones of pink, grey, light tan and white; her features outlined in dark red with dark green and grey-green shadows over the eyes; hands indicated in pink, pinkish white, light tan and white; on each arm are bracelets in yellow and orange glass; her headdress and the outlines of her upper garment are strongly outlined in black; the garment is filled with dark-violet, brown, ochre; the strands of her hair are black, dark violet and ochre; she is wearing a wreath of green limestone and green glass tesserae; the lower half of her body is covered by a himation of yellow, ochre, grey-brown, and brown, with highlights in white and what was once light green glass, and shadows violet and black; her foot is white with a sandal of orange glass and red limestone The nude figure of Eros is in flesh tones of pink, grey, and white; hair and features, dark red; eyes, two black tesserae; wings green, white and brown limestone, and what was once light green and dark green glass. Figure of Bacchus at left of the composition is badly preserved; his face, which is completely missing, seems to have been surrounded by a halo outlined in grey and filled in with a single row of light grey; at the upper right are a few scattered dark red limestone tesserae and one orange glass tesserae; his right arm holding the thyrsos is in flesh tones of pink, light and dark red, with a black shadow on the right side; he wore a bracelet, the remaining blue glass tesserae of which are still visible; only a portion of his upper garment is preserved but it seems to have consisted of a tunic in light and dark red and violet, and a himation outlined in black and filled in with light green and deep blue glass; in the lower part light blue and light green glass are used simultaneously; the thyrsos consists of a long staff in grey limestone changing to ochre and brown where it crosses his arm, and ends in vine and ivy leaves in light blue and light green glass, and a pine cone in light green and light greenish yellow glass. The background vaguely suggests a realistic landscape with a hill on the right and trees behind, in white, grey, and grey-green. Behind Eros are a few small grey-green leaves. The left side is a single area of grey. The right corner where Ariadne is resting is grey-green with lighter areas in light grey and the shadows black. The area directly behind her is grey, grey-brown, and dark reddish brown. Left panel: the panel is completely filled by the standing figure of a Bacchante; her face is in flesh tones of pink, grey, and light tan; features outlines in dark violet with green shadows over the eyes; hair black, grey, and violet; she is wearing a wreath of green and violet limestone, yellow, light green, light and dark blue glass; what appear to be earrings are in yellow glass on the left, orange glass on the right; her tunic is elaborately drawn in brown with highlights in white limestone, light yellow, light green, and light yellowish green glass, and shadows grey, grey-green, and black limestone; down the center of the tunic, from top to bottom, runs a doube line of blue glass alternately dark then medium blue; blue glass bands also appear on her right sleeve and across both wrists; from her left hand hangs a cup in black and grey limestone and deep blue glass; her feet, in light yellowish green glass, have sandals of dark and light red limestone. The background is uniformly grey with a dark green-grey square at the upper right, and a similar grey-green area on which the figure is standing. The parapet against which she leans is shaded in grey-green and behind is a dark shadow beginning in grey-green and ending in black. Right panel: the panel is completely filled with the figure of Silenus; face in flesh tones of pink, light red, and the features outlined in dark red; lower part of face hidden by heavy beard in grey-green and dark grey; headdress dark and light violet and light red with a wreath entirely of glass, light green, light blue, and a decomposed yellow which appears to have a green surface; he is wearing a tight-fitting garment outlined in dark grey and filled in with white and greyish white with grey-green shadows; his kilt is outlined in black and filled with light yellow, green, and light blue glass; shoes outlined in black and filled with green-grey, white, and dark grey, the soles a single line of dark violet and dark red; over his left arm hangs a cloak of white, ochre, brown, and mottled violet limestone and light green glass; he also holds a short thyrsos of grey-brown with the ivy leaves in light yellow, green and blue glass; his right hand holds a cup outlined in black and filled with deep blue glass. The background is in areas of grey, black, green-grey. Silenus stands on an area that is red-brown with a dark green-brown shadow at the bottom left. The base of the columns have moldings indicated by horizontal rows of tesserae, the left half of which are brown and yellowish green glass with white highlights; the right half in violet with ochre half lights and brown shadows. The rectangular masonry base on which the column rests has the division lines of the moldings in white, black, and violet; the surfaces of the masonry are light violet with a white highlight at top, then violet, then light blue glass with green and dark green glass, badly disintegrated, for shadows on both bases, then violet on the front of the next band and grey on the visible sides, then light violet with white highlights. The podium has division lines of black, white, and violet. the surfaces between the lines from top to bottom are light violet, violet, green and dark green glass, violet, light violet. The ground line on which the column bases and podium rests is a band of dark grey with some tesserae of brown, dark brown-grey scattered through it. Just below are three rows of ochre, then seven rows of light brown with tesserae of red, red-brown, brown-green scattered through it to give a tweedy [strikethrough, mottled] effect.

9/22/1937 See all items with this value

N3535, N3536, N3537, N3538, N3539, N3540, N3541, N3542, N3543, N3544, N3545, N3606, N3607, N3608, N3609, N3610, N3611, N3612, N3613

Antioch Museum See all items with this value