This rectangular slab formed part of an architectural frieze consisting of an Ionic cyma or egg-and-dart pattern.
The field of the panel is occupied by three figures in high relief, the heads of which intersect the moulding. A nude male is seen in the center of this composition. His right hand grasps the hem of the female dancer's dress to his right, in what appears to be an attempt to undress her. He is depicted frontally, standing and holding a pinecone-topped thyrsos with his left hand. This attribute of Dionysos (the Roman Bacchus) is further supported by the badly mutilated vine wreath crowning his head as well as his beardless face, all of which identify him beyond doubt. The dancing Maenad to his left grasps the upper ends of her dress in a graceful exhibition of her naked curves, except the back of her legs, the only part of her body covered by fabric. The trunk of the Maenad is bent backwards and her compact coiffure is tied above and behind her head. A male figure representing a satyr stands to the left of the god and is about to join the orgiastic dance. His genitals are covered by what appears to be animal skin. His right leg is bent, and he looks unsteady, grasping a plant with his left hand as if to keep him from falling. His face is beardless, and his thick hair is curly.
The facial features of the central figure and the female dancer had been deliberately deformed (hammered?) in late antiquity. The left leg of the god is chipped off. The surface is entirely covered by a dark bluish thin patina.
Era: Roman (end century CE).
Substance: basalte.
Dimensions: 69.5 x 50 cm.
Text: Weber (p. 112-113).
Collection of the National Museum of Damascus.
Thomas M. Weber. Sculptures from Roman Syria in the Syrian National Museum of Damascus. Vol I, from Cities and Villages in Central and Southern Syria. Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft. Worms. 2006.
Sélim et Andrée Abdul-Hak. Catalogue Illustré du Département des antiquités Gréco-Romaines au Musée de Damas, 1951.
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