Getty Museum

Cinerarium

Date

about A.D. 20–40

Medium

Marble

Culture

Roman

Department

Sculpture

Institution

Getty Museum

The front and sides of the chest are enclosed in frames. There are small feet at the front. The lower border is wider at the sides, and lies directly on the ground. A rectangular tabula with a molded frame is set into the top of the front side in the middle. Beneath it, acanthus leaves form a cup from which two scrolls emerge. The first loop of each scroll holds a blossom. The scrolls end in a chalice of leaves in the second loop. Flowers are found in the lower corners, while at the top, a bird perches on the upper loop on each side. These birds turn toward the center while pecking at stems. The left and right sides of the urn are alike. In the middle, growing out of a cup of acanthus, a leaf motif bears a small krater at the top. Two birds sit drinking on its rim. Scrolls of leaves extend from the acanthus cup and form three loops on both sides. In the lowest loop is a flower, the middle one holds leaves, and the top fruits (?). There are also two flowers at the sides between the top and middle loops. On the left end there are two flowers growing out of the scrolls. (Description after Koch and Wight 1988)

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