A monumental and impressive Italian sculpted limestone group of Bacchus with a satyr, early 20th century, the god of wine portrayed nude and standing, a cup in his raised right hand, the infant satyr at his feet, on a rectangular section limestone plinth with moulded upper edges and base, the figure 250cm high, 350cm high overall Bidders from the UK and outside of the European Union should be aware that additional import charges may apply It seems that the sculptor of this striking limestone group was heavily influenced by Michelangelo's marble Bacchus of 1496-7, in which the master portrayed the wine god in a reeling, drunken posture. The inspiration for the work appears to be the description in Pliny the Elder's Natural History of a lost bronze sculpture by Praxiteles, depicting "Bacchus, Drunkenness and a Satyr". The sense of precariousness resulting from a high centre of gravity can be found in a number of later works by the artist, most notably the David If anything, the representation of the inebriated unsteadiness of the god in this lot is more emphasised, his torso almost involuntarily arching to his left in an apparent over reactionary attempt to balance. The more obviously portrayed drunkenness in the current example is further underlined by the differences in the treatment of the eyes in relation to the drinking cup. In Michelangelo's Bacchus the god is seemingly trying to focus his eyes in a concentrated manner on the skyphos before him, and succeeding; whereas in the example offered here there is more of a narrowing of the eyes, more of a suggestion of the blurred vision more associated with advanced inebriation that will come just prior to collapse In this respect, the rendition here is in fact a portrayal of a less refined and more animalistic Bacchus altogether. This Bacchus has been sculpted with more pronounced musculature than the more refined and Antinous-like model in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello and importantly, has been carved with pubic hair, where Michelangelo's was not. The depiction of the wine god as a more barbaric figure in this instance is therefore almost certainly by design