Young Dionysus

This 3rd-c. opus vermiculatum (mosaic with tiny stones) shows Dionysus, Greek-born wine god adopted in Rome as Bacchus, crowned with flowers. Closely set tesserae (small mosaic cubes) shape a soft, androgynous youth, a Hellenistic-inspired ideal of fluid, eternal beauty. The patterned border links domestic décor to themes of renewal and festivity exalting the social role of wine in Roman life.