Women of Amphissa (by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema) Stone Coaster

This design features a painting by the Dutch-British artist Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836–1912). It depicts a scene in the ancient Greek town of Amphissa (known in modern Greek as Amfissa). A group of women are performing a complicated religious ritual. Followers of Bacchus, the god of wine, have awakened in the marketplace of Amphissa, Greece, where they have wandered from their home in Phocis during a night of ritual dancing. Some of the women are lying on the floor in various postures, as they attempt to rouse themselves, while other women are standing and watching the performance. All of the women are dressed simply with bare feet. It is intended to depict a scene of everyday life in ancient Greece. The original art was painted by Alma-Tadema in 1887.