Hail to Dionysus Who First Discovered the Magic of the Grape

Copied Paul Manship, Hail to Dionysus Who First Discovered the Magic of the Grape, 1930, metal: bronze, 2 7⁄8 in. (7.3 cm.) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the heirs of Albert Laessle: Mrs. Albertine de Bempt Laessle, Mr. Albert M. Laessle and Mr. Paul Laessle, 1972.167.11

Artwork Details

Title
Hail to Dionysus Who First Discovered the Magic of the Grape
Artist
Commissioner
Society of Medallic Arts
Founder
Medallic Art Company
Date
1930
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
2 7⁄8 in. (7.3 cm.) diam.
Credit Line
Gift of the heirs of Albert Laessle: Mrs. Albertine de Bempt Laessle, Mr. Albert M. Laessle and Mr. Paul Laessle
Mediums
Mediums Description
metal: bronze
Classifications
Subjects
  • Mythology — classical — Dionysus
  • Mythology — classical — faun
  • Figure male — head
Object Number
1972.167.11
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1972.167.11

Artwork Description

Some members of the Society of Medalists protested Paul Manship’s medal, which they thought depicted the Greek god of wine too attractively. Manship explained that the satyrs’ coarse features, shown on the reverse of the medal, “betray the dominance of animal instincts which their master Dionysus exemplifies.” The sculptor wanted to portray the “present-day attitude” toward drinking and chose a theme that would be “commemorative of an era.” Prohibition was repealed in 1933 with the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment.