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Dionysus Procession Sarcophagus at the Walters

The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore is one of those rare gems; a museum which is full of interesting and beautiful art and completely free and open to the public. While there recently the Director of Special Events took the trouble of asking if we had seen Elvis yet. Why no, we answered, and to our great surprise he pointed us toward the Roman gallery. There, on a series of Sarcophagi depicting a Dionysian Triumphal Procession are four finials bearing an uncanny resemblance to Elvis Presley, right down to the forward curl of his head.

Of course the sarcophagi themselves are not to missed, with incredibly intricate carvings in Thasian marble from Greece circa 190 A.D. They were acquired by Mr. Walters in 1902, and part of the generous bequest he made to the museum in 1931. Further information can be found at http://art.thewalters.org/viewwoa.aspx?id=33305

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