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Side Panel of a Sarcophagus

A work made of marble.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of marble.

Date:

First half of the 3rd century

Artist:

Roman

About this artwork

This panel was once the side wall of a massive stone coffin. It is decorated in relief with a scene taken from the life of the Greek mythical hero Meleager, who led the hunt for a wild boar that was terrorizing the people of Calydon. Here the valiant hunter stands in the center, his right foot resting on a rock. He is surrounded by his companions, including Herakles at the far left, who is armed with his distinctive knobby club, and his beloved, Atalanta (now headless), seated on the right. Meleager’s head resembles portraits of Alexander the Great (356–323 BCE), the Macedonian king and general who conquered Asia as far east as the Indus River, perhaps because the Romans equated success in the hunt with victory on the battlefield. It is possible that the owner of this sarcophagus wished to equate his bravery and achievements with those of both Meleager and Alexander.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Roman

Title

Side Panel of a Sarcophagus

Place

Antioch (Object found in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

200 CE–250 CE

Medium

Marble

Dimensions

96 × 140.5 × 22 cm (37 5/16 × 55 3/8 × 8 5/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of the Alsdorf Foundation

Reference Number

1983.584

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/100628/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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