Red-Figure Bell Krater depicting the Wedding of Dionysus and Ariadne

This rather large krater depicts a scene of the marriage between Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos of Crete. Eleven figures encircle the vessel, with attendants flanking the main couple in the center of the front of the vase. Dionysos, who wears an ivy wreath and carries the thyrsos and kantharos in his left hand, leads the veiled bride in the ceremony. Attendants include Semele, mother of the groom, who holds torches in each hand and a female figure who could be Aphrodite, goddess of love, who holds the bride’s fillet in her hand. Poseidon, god of the Sea, is pictured on the far left holding his three-pronged trident.