The Roman matron who lived at the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii commissioned a series of paintings in 60-50 B.C. for Room 5 that depicted the initiation of neophytes into the mystery religion of Dionysus. These brides participated in purification and flagellation ceremonies according to a proscribed ritual through a series of events that also involved music and dancing in the midst of an inebriated Dionysus and his followers. In this instance, an attendant is helping to arrange the bride's hair as a Cupid holds up a mirror.
