Statue of a Nymph or Maenad, Called the Carpi Maenad

A female figure, dressed in a light chiton and himation, leans with her left hand on a trunk entwined by ivy tendrils. The chiton glides softly highlighting the shapes of the body and is lifted by the girl uncovering her ankle. The garment gently slides on the left shoulder revealing a portion of the chest. The head, not pertinent, is crowned by vine leaves and bunches of grapes. The iconographic motifs suggest that the statue depicts a Nymph or Maenad. Substantial changes were made to the statue on the occasion of its transfer to the Torlonia Museum. The head, until that time girded by a ribbon, was replaced with the current, as well as the trunk that replaced a support surmounted by an inverted urn. This last element suggests that originally the statue, smaller than life-size, was used as a decorative element of a fountain.

Inventory: MT 216

Material: White marble

Technique: Work sculpted through the use of: chisels (also square-tipped and toothed) rasps

Dating: Imperial age

Origin: Formerly in the vigna of Cardinal Rodolfo Pio da Carpi; Palazzo Torlonia in Piazza Venezia by 1822; later transferred to the Via della Lungara Museum