Carved so that the figures cut from the stone's creamy white top layer stand out against the dark background of the lower layer, this cameo shows five winged children enacting a ceremony that fuses the marriage rite with initiation into the mysteries of the cult of Dionysus. Scenes of the Dionysiac mysteries, often with a child initiate, occur frequently in Roman art. Here the bridegroom Cupid's head is covered, as is usual for those undergoing initiation. The heavily robed and veiled bride is identifiable as Psyche (the Soul) by her dotted butterfly wings. A boy with volute-tipped wings holds the liknon, a ritual basket containing objects symbolizing fertility, over the heads of the bridal couple. Another winged child leads the blindfolded lovers forward by a ribbon; he holds a torch, which is associated with marriage because wedding processions took place at night. A figure at the right side of the composition indicates the marriage bed with a welcoming gesture.

The imagery of marriage is often combined with that of initiation in both Greek and Roman art: ancient brides were dressed and instructed before their weddings, and rituals of bathing and ecstatic rites echoed the ceremonies of marriage. These ancient initiation mysteries intrigued those rediscovering the Classical past. This piece, signed in Greek letters by the artist Tryphon, has been celebrated at least since the early seventeenth century in a sequence of famous collections, including that of the painter Peter Paul Rubens.

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