Visitors of the Hellenic National Archaeological Museum in Athens will be able to see the “Scenes from a Wedding” exhibit of the Unseen Museum for another two weeks, until November 9, 2026, while the temporary exhibition “Pylos of Nestor; A Mycenaean Kingdom Revealed” has received an extension to its scheduled closing date.
Unseen Museum, the special short exhibition project of the museum, every few months, brings to the fore previously unseen antiquities stored in its vaults.
The current exhibit, unveiled on August 28, is a red-figure nuptial lebes of unknown provenance, closely associated with the world of women.
“Scenes from a Wedding” at the Unseen Museum
The “Scenes from a Wedding” vessel’s surface is decorated with marriage-related scenes that diverge from the standard nuptial iconography commonly found in Greek vase painting.
The representation is the work of the Athenian vase painter, known by the conventional name “Perseus Painter”, who was active from 500 to 450 BCE.
At the center of the composition stands a young woman, most likely the bride, protectively surrounded by her female companions, while the rest of the vase is decorated with scenes from her future, married life.
A video presentation, featuring ancient Greek artefacts with similar scenes of weddings and married life, is showing next to the vessel’s showcase in the Altar Hall of the Hellenic National Archaeological Museum in Athens.
The exhibit is accessible to visitors during the museum’s opening hours, and there is additionally one remaining presentation date for November 8, which can be booked online.
Temporary exhibition on Mycenaean Kingdom of Pylos gets three-month extension
Meanwhile, the temporary exhibition on the Mycenaean Kingdom of Pylos, launched at the Hellenic National Archaeological Museum in Athens last May, has received a three-month extension; instead of October 31, 2026, it will be closing on January 31, 2027.
The exhibition, featuring 214 items from Messenia and 11 from the Hellenic National Archaeological Museum, was organized in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Messenia, and with the kind contribution of the J. Paul Getty Museum and the University of Cincinnati (Department of Classics).
The show’s narrative unfolds as a journey through space and time, from the scattered centers of power to the establishment of the Palace at Ano Englianos, where the kingdom of Pylos traditionally associated with the Homeric Nestor took shape.
Admission to the Hellenic National Archaeological Museum is free of charge for all visitors, every first and third Sunday of each month from November 1st until March 31st.
Senior citizens over 65 from Greece or other EU member-states, are entitled to 50 percent reduced admission in single tickets – upon presentation of their photo ID – from 1st of October to 31st of May.
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