In Greek mythology, the Bacchantes represented wild, mystical, uncontrolled and ferocious rapture, culminating in the practice of cruel rites. The Bacchantes were the priestesses of the cult of Dionysus, the symbol of occult knowledge and - above all - the incarnation of the natural principle of the psyche, instinct. It is indeed that very natural principle which, when released, possesses the spirit and produces art, dance, music and song.

This jewel Bacchante is the embodiment of the exact poetic opposite, and is meant showcase the Bacchante as the symbol of women, highlighting the role of women in culture.
Indeed, is it not part of the very essence of woman, the holder of the secret of life, to be associated with instinct? In my own mind, the Bacchante became not only the custodian of the mysteries of the cult, but also the bearer of the seed, represented by the ogival-shaped stone in the belly, the seed that indeed is already blossoming in the folds of the tunic, turning the woman into a flower, a flower however capable of holding her own life in her hands.


The form of the circlet refers to the classic shape of a travelling mirror.
At the end of a long, personal journal leading to deep knowledge of self and through the prism of art, women reattain their proper place in history.

Lela Campitelli Goldsmith-artist Laboratorio Materia

---