Description
Sterling silver sprig with leaf and grapes. The grapes are hollow spheres attached to the vine by small, carefully wrought stems. Grapes are an ancient symbol of revelry, abundance, and victory.
Sizing + Info
This piece is vintage.
This piece is approximately 2 1/4" long. The leaf is about 1 1/4" wide.
Shipping
$8 standard shipping, free shipping on orders of $100 or more
The Dionysian Thyrsus and the Maenads
Dionysus, along with his Roman counterpart Bacchus, is the ancient Greek god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, and festivity. He is associated with fertility, religious ecstasy, and even madness. Dionysus is typically depicted carrying a thyrsus, a staff of giant fennel covered with ivy vines and leaves, often topped with a bunch of vine leaves and grapes or ivy leaves and berries. These staffs were also carried at festivals and religious ceremonies by the Maenads, the female followers of Dionysus and the most significant members of the god's retinue. Their name literally translates as "raving ones." The Maenads were portrayed as inspired by Dionysus into a state of ecstatic frenzy through a combination of dancing and intoxication.