Sculptpedia Statues, Busts and Sculptures Park sculptures and installations Ancient World & Antiquity Middle Ages & Renaissance Marble & Other Stones Bronze & Other Metals

Dancing Maenad

Dancing or Furious Maenad is a sculpture made of Parian marble by the Greek sculptor Scopas. Created around 330 BC, it belongs to the late Classical period of Greek sculpture and reflects the emotional, pathos-driven style typical of its author. The work seen today is a Roman copy of the original Greek piece. It is preserved in the State Art Collections of Dresden, in the Albertinum Museum. The sculpture is significant for its move away from the classical ideal of perfect balance toward a more subjective and expressive representation of movement and emotion.

Dancing Maenad statue in a dramatic twisting pose with arms raised and head thrown back.
The Dancing Maenad shown in a dynamic, swirling pose with her head thrown back and arms lifted.
1909 © Paul Schumann (1855–1927) · Public domain
Dancing Maenad sculpture with the figure’s head tilted back and flowing drapery against a red-brown background.
Dancing Maenad, shown with the figure’s head thrown back and draped garments.
November 2007 © shakko · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dancing Maenad sculpture seen from behind, with the figure’s head tilted sharply upward and draped robes falling to the waist.
Dancing Maenad shown from the back, with the head thrown upward and the garment heavily draped around the body.
November 2007 © shakko · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dancing Maenad sculpture shown as a pale stone female torso arching backward, with wavy hair and draped fabric around the hips.
Dancing Maenad, shown here in a black-and-white photograph of the sculpture’s arched torso and flowing drapery.
1907 © · No restrictions
Partial stone sculpture of the Dancing Maenad shown in profile, with arched back and long hair swept backward.
A profile view of the Dancing Maenad sculpture, showing the figure’s arched pose and draped lower body.
1909 © Paul Schumann (1855–1927) · Public domain

Identification

TitleDancing or Furious Maenad
TypeRoman copy of a sculpture by Scopas
Alternative namesBacchante; The Furious Maenad; The Dancing Maenad

Historical context

Art periodLate Classical Greek art, in the transition from the Classical period to the Hellenistic era
Datecirca 330 BC

Creator

StylePathos style
Stylistic featuresEmotion placed above physical form; torsion, convulsive movement, and expressive faces
Artist birth datearound 380 BC
Artist birthplaceParos, Cyclades
Artist nationalityGreek
ArtistScopas

Discovery and provenance

Known fromA small fragmentary marble copy
Extant versionThe surviving piece is a Roman copy

Physical characteristics

Head positionHead thrown backward and turned to the left
Light and shadow effectStrong chiaroscuro created by the varying depths of the folds and hair
HairDisordered mass of hair with curled locks
ExpressionFull face with parted lips and a lost gaze toward the sky
ClothingAn airy chiton or dress clinging to the body, cinched just above the waist, opening upward and leaving the left side uncovered
PoseStrong swirling torsion from the left leg through the torso and neck to the head; designed to be viewed from the side or in diagonal view
ConditionIncomplete and badly damaged, but preserving its fundamental features
SubjectA female maenad, originally full-length
FormFree-standing round sculpture
Preserved parts/statusThe arms are lost; the legs are mutilated; the knife and sacrificed goat once carried on the shoulders are missing

Materials

MaterialMarble, specifically Parian marble

Technique

TechniqueCarved by subtraction; wet drapery technique; undercutting and trepanation for the hair curls

Iconography and meaning

Associated termSparagmos, the tearing apart of animals or even human beings
InterpretationA transgressive figure of womanhood, shown in a state of Bacchic ecstasy and surrender
Symbolic meaningRepresents Dionysian frenzy, irrationality, instinctuality, and opposition to civic order and moderation
Ritual practiceOrgiastic ceremonies, frenzied dances to flutes and tambourines, and ritual sacrifice of a kid or roe deer torn apart with knives and eaten raw
Mythological themeAssociated with Dionysus (Bacchus) and the cult of Dionysus
Depicted sceneA maenad in ecstatic Dionysian ritual

Location and ownership

Current locationAlbertinum Museum, State Art Collections Dresden, Dresden
Current museumAlbertinum Museum
Current collectionState Art Collections Dresden

History and restoration

Historical contextPlaced in the Classical and post-Classical transition of Greek history, amid political, economic, social, philosophical, and aesthetic change after the crisis of the polis system and Athens' loss of preeminence
Historical backgroundBetween the Ionian Revolt of 499 BC and the conquest of Greece by Alexander the Great around 336 BC; marked by the Persian Wars, the Peloponnesian War, rivalry between Athens and Sparta, the decline of the polis system, and the rise of Macedon under Philip II and Alexander the Great
Artistic significanceA transition from Classical art to Hellenistic art, based on expressiveness, drama, and movement

Significance

Art-historical significanceConsidered one of the three major figures of late or post-classical Greek art, alongside Praxiteles and Lysippos
Ancient sourcesKnown from classical authors such as Pausanias, Pliny the Elder, and Calistratus
Quoted interpretation by CalistratusThe figure, though hard, softened into femininity while retaining vigor and abandoning itself to Bacchic delirium