FRAGMENT OF A SARCOPHAGUS LID WITH TWO FIGURES
Roman Culture
FRAGMENT OF A SARCOPHAGUS LID WITH TWO FIGURES
Marble.
Length: 82 cm. Height: 41 cm. Thickness: 16 cm.
Roman period. Around 260 A.D
Origin
Mesas de Asta. Jerez de la Frontera. Cádiz.
Description
Two male figures in togas (each a portrait of the dead men) face the viewer on a parapetasm (large hanging curtain that covers the background of the scene). This must have been held at each end by two erotes (gods), of which only the left one remains. The more complete portrait is of a middle-aged man, with knitted brow, large eyes, very curly beard and long locks of hair around his forehead and temples, leaving his ears exposed. His companion has lost the front part of his face; only the ears and some of his hair and beard remain. However, the similarity between the two profiles and outlines suggests that the two figures were related. This scene is common in Roman sarcophagi. By analysing the portraits, it can be dated to the 3rd century A.D.
Bibliography
- Beltrán, J.; García, M.A. y Rodríguez Oliva, P. (2006): Los sarcófagos romanos en Andalucía. Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani. Murcia, pp. 104-109.
