Skip to Content
Today Open today 11–5

  • Mon 11–5
  • Tue–Wed Closed
  • Thu 11–8
  • Fri–Sun 11–5
  • Members: the first hour of every day, 10–11 a.m., is reserved for member–only viewing.

Cinerary Urn

A work made of marble.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of marble.

Date:

Late 1st-early 2nd century

Artist:

Roman

About this artwork

This cinerary urn likely held the cremated remains of two individuals, presumably a husband and wife. The lid features portraits of the deceased flanked by symbols of the Roman goddess of love, Venus (the Greek Aphrodite), including dolphins and winged erotes, the goddess’s mythological companions. The front of the urn contains two rectangular panels, which were intended for personalized inscriptions but were instead left blank. Surrounding the panels are garland swags and an ox skull, both motifs associated with sacrificial rites, as well as rabbits, symbols of love and immortality.

Status

On View, Gallery 150

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Roman

Title

Cinerary Urn

Place

Roman Empire (Object made 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.

50 CE–150 CE

Medium

Marble

Dimensions

a (urn): 23.1 × 53.9 × 27.6 cm (9 1/8 × 21 ¼ × 10 7/8 in) b (lid): 12.7 × 53.3 × 28.5 cm (5 × 21 × 11 ¼ in)

Credit Line

Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne

Reference Number

1926.621a-b

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/29231/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.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.
Learn more

Image actions

Share

Suggested Terms