The god Dionysus is depicted standing, young, beardless, with long hair. He is naked and wears a wreath made of ivy leaves and fruits. He is leaning with his left hand on a tree trunk, around which a vine is wrapped. He holds a wrapped papyrus in his right hand.

It has been argued that the statue is a classicizing work of the 1st c. AD., as it resembles relevant works of the Praxiteles sculptor of the 4th c. BC. Its current appearence is the result of extensive restoration made in the 16th c. in Florence, as well as in the 18th c. in Paris. The statue is known by the name "Bacchus Richelieu due to its famous owner, Cardinal Richelieu.