Nuptial Eros: The Visual Discourse of Marriage in Classical Athens

In contrast to most surviving literary evidence on ancient Greek marriage, nuptial scenes on Classical Attic pottery are remarkable for their rich erotic imagery. From the earliest Archaic examples on, the ambivalent romantic figure of Helen is a major figure in nuptial iconography, and images first applied to her are adopted for ordinary wedding scenes. Early Classical vase painters represent a close emotional and sexual bond between bride and groom primarily through touch and glance and by appropriating so-called courting motifs for nuptial use. High Classical artists culminate the development of nuptial eroticism by employing the personification Eros to express a variety of meanings and by introducing both male and female nudity into wedding iconography.