Garland Sarcophagus

Unlike many sarcophagi, this one is carved on all four sides in high relief. Garlands held by winged goddesses or personifications on the corners and Eros (Cupid) figures on the sides support the busts of a crowned deity (left) and a young girl (right). The sarcophagus was probably intended for her. In the center, on both the front and back, is a theatrical mask-on this side Tragedy, on the other, Comedy. Medusa heads decorate the ends. The lid takes the form of a temple roof with a pediment (triangular gable) at each end.

This sarcophagus can be traced to a particular workshop active near the ancient quarry of Dokimeion in Phrygia in Asia Minor. Its discovery in Rome illustrates the long-distance trade in even very large, heavy luxury goods that took place at the height of the Roman Empire.

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.

[Excavated from the so-called Licinian tomb, via Piave, Rome, 1885]; Clemente Maraini, 1885, by excavation; Don Marcello Massarenti, Rome, by 1894, by purchase [marble no. 6]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.