Preadella, by unknown artist, 45-79, 1st Century A.D., ripped fresco, 19 x 52 cm

Whole artwork view. Four human figures stand out against a black background; from the left, a young woman with her hair gathered up, richly dressed - maybe a young lady initiated to the dionysiac misteries - sits on a stool and looks thoughtful the characters in front of her; beside, a man wearing a red tunic and a wreath around his head; in the middle, a statue of Bacchus identified with his features: the erect phallus - ityphallic Bacchus -, the ivy leaves crown, and vine leaves, with his typical nubby cane called tyrsus and the sacred vase, or situla; on the right, a woman on a profile with a gold crown, veil and chitone dressing, grips a snake in her right hand she carries at her breast; from Ercolano.