David Bird, 13, was on a trip to the London museum with mum Deborah when he was drawn to an 1879 sculpture by Aimé-Jules Dalou, entitled Bacchanal.
Bacchanal means a worshipper of Bacchus, the Roman god of agriculture, wine and fertility, and is used to describe a “wild and drunken celebration”.
The painted plaster sculpture – almost 6ft in diameter – depicts four worshippers of Bacchus taking part in a drunken orgy.
It shows naked figures, one woman on the ground and three men; one smiling in ecstasy, one holding a bunch of grapes, and another holding the woman down.
But the gallery label states the scene shows worshippers of the Bacchus, the Greek god of wine.
The Greek god of wine is actually Dionysus, also the god of orchards, fruits, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy and theatre.
This story is from the June 23, 2024 edition of Sunday Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 23, 2024 edition of Sunday Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Armchair viewers' blank afternoon
TEMPERATURES below freezing wiped out both of the ITV fixtures yesterday leaving viewers without any live racing to watch.
Kyrgios slams Sinner and will not be silenced
NICK KYRGIOS has warned he is not going “to shut up” about Italian hero Jannik Sinner’s failed drug tests in the build-up to the Australian Open.
Will power for Sarries
TOM WILLIS surged over for two tries to give England boss Steve Borthwick another compelling reminder that his Test debut is overdue.
NOW HAAL'S WELL AGAIN AT ETIHAD
THE crisis is officially over and normal service has resumed.
NWANERI ONLY HIGH SPOT FOR GUNNERS
Lacklustre draw deals title hopes fresh blow
Stroke victim meets cops who saved her
A WOMAN who had a cardiac arrest and stroke while driving and miraculously survived has been reunited with the officers who saved her life.
Mum's cash crisis after cancer bills
A MOTHER-of-three whose mouth cancer was missed due to Covid restrictions is now facing eviction after failing to pay bills during her two years of treatment and rehabilitation.
100 'jump dock' at court despite £7m safety drive
MORE than 100 prisoners have escaped custody by jumping out of the dock during the last seven years - despite a government-funded scheme to make courts more secure.
We must teach pupils why Britain is 'Great'
ALMOST from the moment the first child crossed the threshold and entered a classroom, governments, dictators and other political leaders have sought to use education as a means of indoctrination and controlling the population.
Half a billion in pensions to dead people
BUNGLING civil servants overpaid £511.8 million in state pensions and pension credits to dead recipients, and failed to claw back £256.8m of it over the past five years.
