Terracotta funerary plaque

Unknown

ca. 520–510 BCE · Terracotta · Greek and Roman Art

Prothesis (laying out of the dead); below, chariot race In the latter sixth century B.C., the elaborate series of funerary plaques set into the walls of rectangular tombs were replaced by single plaques with holes for attachment. The chariot race, a recurring theme in Attic funerary art, may evoke the funeral games held in honor of legendary heroes, such as those in book 23 of the Iliad, when Achilles honored his deceased friend Patroklos.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 520–510 BCE

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Greek, Attic

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1954