White figure krater vase

Hermes, with petasos and winged sandals, delivers the baby Dionysius wrapped in a cloth to Papposilenus seated on a rock with a thyrsus on the left; behind Hermes and the aged Silenus there are two Nymphs who will raise the little god. On the other side three Muses are represented – one seated on a rock in the act of playing the barbiton, the other at the sides, one of whom has a lyre – in accordance with the predilection for the world of theatre, music and dance regularly expressed by the painter. It is believed that the main theme in reality describes a theatrical representation, possibly from a lost satirical drama by Sophocles.