Getty Museum

Grave Stele of Poseides

Date

about 275 B.C.

Medium

Marble with polychromy

Culture

East Greek

Department

Sculpture

Institution

Getty Museum

Carved with figures in high relief, this stele or monument marked the grave of a man named Poseides and his wife. The stele depicts Poseides walking to the left, followed by his diminutive wife. The woman appears to hold a pomegranate, a common Greek funerary symbol. With his right hand, Poseides points down to where a long, lean hunting hound was originally brightly painted on the flat background of the stele. A floral motif of a palmette and two half-palmettes springing from acanthus leaves tops the stele. In addition to the dog, the stele once bore much other painted decoration. Traces of color remain on the figures, the floral motif, and on the moldings separating the upper and lower sections of the stele. A long inscription covers much of the background of the stele. As well as naming the deceased, it attempts to prevent the vandalism or re-use of the stele by placing a curse on anyone who would do so.

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