Marble sarcophagus fragment

Unknown

mid-2nd century CE · Marble, Luni and Pentelic · Greek and Roman Art

The relief, which originally formed the front panel of a large sarcophagus, depicts the death of the Greek hero Meleager, famous for killing the Calydonian boar. On other Roman sarcophagi this scene accompanies that of the hunt itself, showing Meleager spearing the ferocious boar. However, here the focus is on the dying hero who is being carried home surrounded by his grieving father and companions. During the Renaissance the scene became the prototype for artistic representations of the Deposition of Christ. The panel, as it now survives, includes 16th-century restorations.

Artist

Unknown

Date

mid-2nd century CE

Medium

Marble, Luni and Pentelic

Culture

Roman

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1920