“Ariadne sleeping” by Roman sculptor

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150-175. White marble, 99 x 238 cm.

This Roman statue is based on a model made in Pergamon (of about 150 B. C.) and represents Ariadne, the daughter of king Minos of Crete, after she was abandoned by Theseus on a beach in Naxos. She sleeps while awaiting the arrival of Dionysius. This subject was dealt with many times in Greek art, and its most famous prototype is the sculpture reproduced here, which was undoubtedly the work of a studio in Rhodes or Asia, intended for the decoration of a garden or fountain. The wealth of folds and grandiose proportions reflect the tradition of Pergamum and recall the pediments of the Parthenon. This work was restored in the seventeenth-century in Bernini's workshop.