Red Figure Bell Krater Analysis

The red figure bell krater is an artifact I saw in the San Antonio Museum of art, and it was said to be an Ancient Greece inspired artwork, but was created in Italy and crafted out of terracotta. The item called a ‘Krater’ are actually known as jars or vessels that were used to mix wine and water together to serve to others mainly during festivities. These vessels originated in Ancient Greece, and the word itself actually means ‘mixing vessel’, befitting their purpose. On this bell krater, the god Dionysus is featured dancing with a maenad and two other young men. Dionysus was known as the Greek God of wine, festivity and life’s pleasures, and since the krater was mainly a jar used for drinking purposes and mixing wine, it is actually quite

In mythology, Dionysus had a growing cult consisting mainly of satyrs, whom were half male human and half animal creatures, and maenads. On the artifact, there is a painting of Dionysus dancing with a maenad and on the other side there are two young men accompanying the god. However, the two young men featured on the krater are regular human males rather than satyrs, even though satyrs were some of Dionysus’ most prominent followers as his cult consisted of mostly men. Although, he did have female followers that were called the ‘Maenads’, whom also acted as servants to him and would often bring him wine and would dance along with him for entertainment, like so in this artifact. In fact, the maenads were considered his most significant followers with how ecstatic they would dance as seen on the krater, and many other artworks with Dionysus’s maenads also feature them dancing ecstatically. Their dance is inspired by Dionysus himself, and the word ‘maenad’ means ‘to rave’ or ‘raving one’ which makes sense given how they dance so freely and ecstatically in the artworks with Dionysus. My observation is that these females rave because Dionysus is also the god of ritual madness and frenzy, which could come from the fact that wine intoxicates those who drink