Sujet

Grave Relief of Agrippina, about A.D. 150. Creator: Unknown.

Légende

Grave Relief of Agrippina, about A.D. 150. Additional Info: In antiquity, as today, death could come quickly and unexpectedly. Grave monuments often had to be purchased from whatever was in a merchant's stock, rather than made to order. Many Roman grave monuments show signs of hasty changes intended to make the portrait more appropriate. This grave relief, however, displays an instance where the portrait bears no resemblance to the deceased. This relief depicts a bust set within an aedicula or small funerary shrine. The Greek inscription carved across the lower part of the monument reads, "To the gods of the underworld! For Agrippina, our daughter, who lived three years, one month, and twenty-seven days, we the parents had this relief made in her memory." Yet, the bust carved on the monument depicts a boy about ten to twelve years old. It appears that, for the grieving parents, having any monument took precedence over including an actual likeness of their daughter. This relief is also unusual in its form. Grave reliefs are rare in Rome by this time; sarcophagi were the more common monument for the dead.

Crédit

Photo12/Heritage Images/Heritage Art

Notre référence

HRM24A66_430

Model release

NA

Property release

NA

Licence

Droits gérés

Format disponible

55,6Mo (2,2Mo) / 33,2cm x 42,0cm / 3920 x 4960 (300dpi)

Mots clés

Latin portrait Italy female people child children girl girls stone arts carving country Rome sculpture art color death marble archaeology ancient relief handicraft handicrafts Roman carved inscription location century archaeological grave graves concept archeology poignant Colour inscribed 2nd century sculpture Unknown marble Heritage Art relief Hand Carved