A teenage schoolboy made V&A experts blush by pointing out a mistake in mixing Roman and Greek gods. David Bird, 13, was on a trip to the London museum with his mother Deborah when he was drawn to an 1879 sculpture by Aimé-Jules Dalou, titled Bacchanal.
Bacchanal means worshiper of Bacchus, the Roman god of agriculture, wine and fertility, and is used to describe a “wild, drunken celebration.”
The painted plaster sculpture, nearly 6 feet in diameter, depicts four worshipers of Bacchus participating in a drunken orgy.
It shows naked figures, a woman on the ground and three men; one smiling in ecstasy, another holding a bunch of grapes and another holding the woman. But the gallery label indicates that the scene shows worshipers of Bacchus, the Greek god of wine.
The Greek god of wine is actually Dionysus, also the god of orchards, fruits, vegetation, fertility, festivity, madness, ritual madness, religious ecstasy and theater.
Even though the V&A is a world authority on 5,000 years of artwork (with hundreds of experts on hand), it fell to David to point out the error.
The young man, from Watford, Herts, said he loved ancient history and mythology, and discovered the error as soon as he read the gallery label and reported it to a member of staff.
The label reads: “Aimé-Jules Dalou (1838–1902)…Bacchanalia Signed and dated 1879. This relief shows worshipers of Bacchus, the Greek god of wine. The format of the round suits the frenzy of your drunken revelry.
“Dalou admired the work of the 17th century Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, as well as that of the French sculptor Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, who had taught him how to model. His influence is evident in the exuberance of these figures.”
David, who studies GCSE Classics at primary school, said he became hooked on the ancient world after reading Rick Riordan’s hugely popular Percy Jackson fantasy novels, which have sold more than 180 million worldwide.
The books, which have been turned into movies, video games, television series and even a musical, tell of a boy named Percy Jackson, a young demigod, who discovers that he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon.
David said: “As soon as I saw the label I knew it was wrong. “I’ve read all the Percy Jackson books and I know the difference between the Greek and Roman gods, and that Bacchus is the Roman god of wine and Dionysus is the Greek.”
David, who wants to be a paleontologist or musician, added: “It shows that even experts can make mistakes. “They should change the label because it is wrong and could confuse people.”
The museum, opened by Queen Victoria in 1857, has a permanent collection of more than two million objects and is the largest museum of its kind in the world, attracting more than three million visitors each year. Its 145 galleries cover 12.5 acres and its collection spans 5,000 years of art, from ancient history to the present day. One of the 2,278,183 pieces on display is the work of the sculptor Dalou, donated to the museum in 1887.
The head of the V&A is former Labor MP Tristram Hunt, who was appointed to the role in 2017. Hunt, who graduated with a degree in History from the University of Cambridge in 1995, served as Shadow Secretary of State for Education 2013 to 2015. Resigned as MP in 2017 to accept post at the V&A.
