Painted limestone funerary stele with a woman in childbirth

Unknown

late 4th–early 3rd century BCE · Limestone, paint · Greek and Roman Art

The dying woman leans back, supported on either side by an attendant. Her torso and arms are naked, while two garments—one reddish and one pink—cover her lower body. The composition and subject of the painting derive from Classical Greek grave reliefs. This stele was found in the same underground tomb as the adjacent tomb marker and it probably once served as a funerary monument above ground.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 4th–early 3rd century BCE

Medium

Limestone, paint

Culture

Greek

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Gift of Darius Ogden Mills, 1904