Marble lid of a cinerary chest

Unknown

late 1st century CE · Marble · Greek and Roman Art

The lid is fashioned to look like the roof of a barrel-vaulted building with acroteria at the corners in the form of theatrical masks and palmettes. The front panel is inscribed in Latin: “To the spirits of the dead, [of] Sextus Flavius Pancarpus, who lived 67 years.” Despite the fact that the inscription mentions only a man, the lunettes at the sides show both male (globe and box of scrolls) and female (mirror and spindle) attributes, indicating that the chest also may have contained the remains of Pancarpus’ wife.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 1st century CE

Medium

Marble

Culture

Roman

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Purchase, Michael Finkelstein and Sue-ann Friedman Gift,1997