Jules Dalou is a
realism sculpter born on December 31, 1838. He was noted for allegorical group compositions of Baroque inspiration and for simpler studies of common people. His greatest mentor was Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, who encourages his training first. One of Jules' many sculptures is called "The Triumph of Silenus". It was sculpted in 1838 in Paris, France (Riggs). In greek mythology Silenus is the son of Hermes and a nymph. He is the constant companion of Dionysus, and was said to have helped with the cultivation of the wine and the keeping of the bees. One critic said that when he saw the work of art he immediately began to write a poem. The first stanza goes like this, "The Silenus silent in myself sits/ back on his ass held up by Bacchantes" (Riggs).
