Pyxides

Pyxides were containers for cosmetics and jewelries, and they were a common wedding gift in ancient Athens. The scene depicts a women sitting on a stool inside a house, as the closed double door of the scene suggests. It is a characteristic scene set in women’s quarters, i.e. the place where women lived. In addition to the seated figure, three other figures are preparing to offer her wedding gifts. The narrative scene relates to the epaulia, the traditional celebration of the second day of the wedding, when relatives and friends went to the house to offer gifts to the bride, who is shown here seated.