| Artist | |
|---|---|
| Place of production | Rome, Michele Gherardi |
| Date | early 20th century (plaster cast), first half of the 2nd century AD, after a statue from the 2nd century BC (original) |
| Object type | plaster cast |
| Medium, technique | plaster |
| Dimensions | 158 x 226 x 85 cm |
| Inventory number | Ag.292 |
| Collection | Classical Antiquites - Plaster casts |
| On view | Star Fortress (Komárom), The Influence of the Classical Antiquity on the Renaissance Sculpture, Gallery XVII |
In the Greek myth, Ariadne, the princess of Crete, fell in love with the Athenian hero, Theseus, and helped him defeat the bull-headed Minotaur. After Theseus sailed away from Crete, he left Ariadne on the island of Naxos, where she was found by Dionysos, who married her. The larger-than-life statue shows her between these two events, lying on a rock, sleeping unaware of her lover’s departure. Ariadne’s upper arm is adorned with an armlet that imitates a snake. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, this led to the identification of the statue as Cleopatra, since the Egyptian queen is said to have died of snakebite.
Hekler, Antal, Az antik gipszgyűjtemény I-II., Budapest, 1919-1920, 1923, no. no. 391.
This record is subject to revision due to ongoing research.
