Description:
Minton Group 'Ariadne on a Panther' a Parian-ware figure of Ariadne reclining nude on the back of a stylized panther, moving towards the right; she wears an acanthus wreath on her head, her left leg tucked beneath her right, holding drapery in her left hand, her left leg crossed under her right, on a rectangular plinth. This Parian-ware statuette was produced by Minton & Co. The composition, modeled by John Bell (1811-1895), is taken from an original life-size marble work by the German Sculptor Johann Heinrich Dannecker. Ariadne [Credit: Anderson—Alinari/Art Resource, New York] in Greek mythology, daughter of Pasiphae and the Cretan king Minos. She fell in love with the Athenian hero Theseus and, with a thread or glittering jewels, helped him escape the Labyrinth after he slew the Minotaur, a beast half bull and half man that Minos kept in the Labyrinth. Here the legends diverge: she was abandoned by Theseus and hanged herself; or, Theseus carried her to Naxos and left her there to die, and she was rescued by and married the god Dionysus.

Sale Price: $1,800

Period: 20th Century

Origin: England

Width / Length: 12.50 in. (32 cm)

Depth / Diameter: 5.50 in. (14 cm)

Height: 14.25 in. (36 cm)

Number of Items Offered: 1

Condition: Excellent, Wear consistent with age and use