Panel showing initiation of Ariadne (153651)

Panel showing initiation of Ariadne (153651)

Found as isolated material together with another panel in the Naples Archaeological Museum which is identical in terms of theme and size (inv. 153652), the panel displays extremely high quality craftsmanship. It might have been an ornament for decorating a wall or, much more probably, a piece of wooden furniture, instead of the more common ivory inlays. The theme of the panel is the initiation of Ariadne to the Dionysian mysteries, a theme for which there is evidence in various frescoes. The scene takes place in a rural setting: Ariadne, in the centre, wears a long dress and reclines, leaning on her left side, on a hillock. She puts her hand on a rock, upon which there is a drinking cup and, with her right hand, offers a kantharos to a Maenad who is pouring her a liturgical drink (wine?) from an oinochoe. A goat looks towards Ariadne while above her a cupid holds a veil between the branches of a vine or bay tree. An eight-reed pan pipe hangs from the vine as does a sack from which emerge bunches of grapes and a gnarly club. On the left of the scene is a bearded Silenus with a flowing chlamys and a head adorned with a garland of leaves and vine leaves; he advances with his head looking behind and his right arm raised above it. In his left hand, he holds a skyphos, while at his feet there is a cist from which emerges the head of a snake. Panels in cameo glass such as this one are extremely rare, if not unique; it was probably made by the same workshop that produced such masterpieces as the famous “Blue vase” (inv. 13521) in the Archaeological Museum of Naples or the so-called "Portland vase" in the British Museum. They were produced by soldering together two sheets of glass - the sheets were made by pouring molten glass into moulds - after laying one on top of another and putting them into a furnace. The upper sheet would then be engraved. It is interesting to note that the panel showed traces of wear and ancient restoration when it was discovered.