Creative Commons License
Sarcophagus Fragment with the Good Shepherd
(Roman Empire )
This fragment comes from a small Early Christian sarcophagus that was probably made for a child. At the right is a young shepherd, who carries a lamb over his shoulders as two sheep gaze up at him from below. The image of the Good Shepherd originated with the pagan Greek figure of Hermes (the gods' messenger and ram-bearer) and was later transformed into Jesus as the Good Shepherd who watches over his flock.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Jerome M. Eisenberg [Royal-Athena Galleries], London and New York, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 2001, by purchase.
Geographies
Italy (Place of Origin)
Measurements
13 9/16 x 21 5/8 in. (34.5 x 55 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase with funds provided by the Medieval Fund and the W. Alton Jones Foundation Acquisition Fund, 2001
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
41.325