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Sarcophagus and lid with portraits of husband and wife
Italic, Etruscan
Late Classical or Hellenistic Period
Late 4th–early 3rd century B.C.
Place of Manufacture: Italy, Lazio, Vulci
Medium/Technique
Volcanic tuff
Dimensions
Height : 88 cm (34 5/8 in.); width: 73 cm ( 28 3/4 in.); length: 210 cm (82 11/16 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase with funds by exchange from a Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius C. Vermeule III
Accession Number1975.799
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsTomb equipment – Coffins and sarcophagi
Sarcophagi, or coffins, showing images of married couples on the lids are unique to Etruria. The tender presentation of an embracing man and woman on this rare example makes it one of the most widely admired works of Etruscan art. A rounded mantle covers the figures like a blanket, discreetly underscoring the sym-
bolic nature of the scene and the couple's intimate connection; unlike Greek art, Etruscan art presents women alongside their husbands in banquets and processions. The nudity of the man refers not only to the consummation of the marriage but also, as he is deceased, to his heroization.
The high level of naturalism in the bodies and faces, particularly the man's clearly visible belly and jowly jawline, demonstrates the Etruscan preference for realistic, even unflattering, self-representation. The woman's double-braid hairstyle, large round earring, spiral bracelet, and long-sleeved chiton betray the Etruscans' love of luxury and their focus on costume as an indicator of identity and social status. The use of an Italic volcanic rock rather than imported Greek marble adds to the distinctly local flavor of the piece.
The reliefs running along three sides of the sarcophagus on which this lid sits underscore the connection between husband and wife in life and death. The long side features a marriage scene, presumably of this couple, and both ends display figures departing in chariots for the afterlife. Together with an inscription mentioning Ramtha Visnai (a woman's name), these reliefs suggest that the wife predeceased her husband, who later joined her in death; traces of paint in her eyes show her gazing directly at him, to welcome and comfort him as he joins her in an eternal embrace.
bolic nature of the scene and the couple's intimate connection; unlike Greek art, Etruscan art presents women alongside their husbands in banquets and processions. The nudity of the man refers not only to the consummation of the marriage but also, as he is deceased, to his heroization.
The high level of naturalism in the bodies and faces, particularly the man's clearly visible belly and jowly jawline, demonstrates the Etruscan preference for realistic, even unflattering, self-representation. The woman's double-braid hairstyle, large round earring, spiral bracelet, and long-sleeved chiton betray the Etruscans' love of luxury and their focus on costume as an indicator of identity and social status. The use of an Italic volcanic rock rather than imported Greek marble adds to the distinctly local flavor of the piece.
The reliefs running along three sides of the sarcophagus on which this lid sits underscore the connection between husband and wife in life and death. The long side features a marriage scene, presumably of this couple, and both ends display figures departing in chariots for the afterlife. Together with an inscription mentioning Ramtha Visnai (a woman's name), these reliefs suggest that the wife predeceased her husband, who later joined her in death; traces of paint in her eyes show her gazing directly at him, to welcome and comfort him as he joins her in an eternal embrace.
Catalogue Raisonné
Sculpture in Stone (MFA), no. 384; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 116 (additional published references); Highlights: Classical Art (MFA), p. 095.
DescriptionThe cover of the sarcophagus shows a man and woman lying nearly facing each other on a bed with pillows and a large sheet wrapped about them.The portrait of the man is of particular interest to the study of Etruscan (and Early Roman) portraiture, foreshadowing in many respects the Roman Republican portraiture which would, in considerable degree, devlop from the Etruscan form. The woman wears a double fillet or braids around her hair, a heart-shaped earring, and a long chiton with sleeves. It is difficult to tell what, if any, clothing the man was wearing, unless details of costume were added in paint. The pediments at each end of the lid have three ideal, female(?) heads in relief in rosettes.
The front of the body shows a ceremony, interpreted by some as the couple's marriage and by others as their reunion in the afterlife. They clasp hands in the center, or (more precisely) he places his hand around her wrist, while he also holds a knotted staff in the left hand. Four attendants follow on either side. Those on the left comprise (from center to corner) a man with a tall staff, a lantern or jar suspended from it; a woman with a tray on her head and a pitcher in her lowered right hand; a woman with a large fan or flabellum and a situla in her lowered right hand; and a woman with a lyre and plectron. On the right appear a young man with a chair; another with a small stick or scepter; a third with a curved horn; and a woman with a wreath and double flutes.
On the left end, two women, parasol over their heads, ride in a cart drawn by two mules driven by a male attendant. A winged spirit of death waves two snakes at them. On the right end, a bearded magistrate mounts a two-horse chariot, attended by a man with the pastoral staff or lituus.
Since the man on the major front panel wears the Greek himation, it has been suggested that he is the heroized deceased, leading his wife to the underworld. If such be the case, she may have survived him to have her own separate procession on the left end, and the scene on the front thus may be taken as a symbolic "marriage" ceremony, the union with death and life in the underworld rather than merely in life on earth.
The lid is broken across at the couple's legs and has been rejoined, with two small pieces missing. The body has cracks. There are minor chips and abrasions, but the general condition is excellent. The surfaces have a crusty brown patina.
The front of the body shows a ceremony, interpreted by some as the couple's marriage and by others as their reunion in the afterlife. They clasp hands in the center, or (more precisely) he places his hand around her wrist, while he also holds a knotted staff in the left hand. Four attendants follow on either side. Those on the left comprise (from center to corner) a man with a tall staff, a lantern or jar suspended from it; a woman with a tray on her head and a pitcher in her lowered right hand; a woman with a large fan or flabellum and a situla in her lowered right hand; and a woman with a lyre and plectron. On the right appear a young man with a chair; another with a small stick or scepter; a third with a curved horn; and a woman with a wreath and double flutes.
On the left end, two women, parasol over their heads, ride in a cart drawn by two mules driven by a male attendant. A winged spirit of death waves two snakes at them. On the right end, a bearded magistrate mounts a two-horse chariot, attended by a man with the pastoral staff or lituus.
Since the man on the major front panel wears the Greek himation, it has been suggested that he is the heroized deceased, leading his wife to the underworld. If such be the case, she may have survived him to have her own separate procession on the left end, and the scene on the front thus may be taken as a symbolic "marriage" ceremony, the union with death and life in the underworld rather than merely in life on earth.
The lid is broken across at the couple's legs and has been rejoined, with two small pieces missing. The body has cracks. There are minor chips and abrasions, but the general condition is excellent. The surfaces have a crusty brown patina.
Provenance1845/1846, excavated at Ponte Rotto necropolis, Vulci, Italy, and kept by Alexandrine de Bleschamp, Princess of Canino and Musignano (b. 1778 - d. 1855), Musignano [see note 1]; by descent to her daughter, Maria Bonaparte Valentini (b. 1818 - d. 1874), Musignano; by descent to her daughter, Luciana Valentini, Countess Faina (b. 1840 - d. 1925), Musignano; about 1883, sold by Luciana Valentini to James Jackson Jarves (b. 1818 - d. 1888), Florence [see note 2]; 1886, sold by Jarves to the Boston Athenaeum (Ath. 1281) and placed on loan to the MFA [see note 3]; 1975, sold by the Boston Athenaeum to the MFA. (Accession Date: March 10, 1976)
NOTES:
[1] The sarcophagus was excavated along with another (MFA accession no. 86.145a-b), on the property of Lucien Bonaparte's widow at Vulci and they were reported to have been transported immediately to Musignano. The discovery was announced in February, 1846; see Bullettino dell'Instituto di Corrispondenza Archaeologica VI (June 1846), p. 86; and George Dennis, The Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria, vol. 1 (London, 1848), p. 439.
[2] Jarves lent both sarcophagi to the American Exhibition of Foreign Products, Arts, and Manufacture and published an account of their history in the Handbook for Visitors to the Collections of Old Art of the Boston Foreign Art Exhibition (Boston, 1883), pp. 30-33, cat. nos. 464-465, where they are erroneously said to have been excavated in 1842/1843.
[3] The sarcophagi were sold jointly to the MFA and the Boston Athenaeum. This sarcophagus was assigned to the Athenaeum, and was placed on loan to the MFA from 1887 until it was sold in 1975.
NOTES:
[1] The sarcophagus was excavated along with another (MFA accession no. 86.145a-b), on the property of Lucien Bonaparte's widow at Vulci and they were reported to have been transported immediately to Musignano. The discovery was announced in February, 1846; see Bullettino dell'Instituto di Corrispondenza Archaeologica VI (June 1846), p. 86; and George Dennis, The Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria, vol. 1 (London, 1848), p. 439.
[2] Jarves lent both sarcophagi to the American Exhibition of Foreign Products, Arts, and Manufacture and published an account of their history in the Handbook for Visitors to the Collections of Old Art of the Boston Foreign Art Exhibition (Boston, 1883), pp. 30-33, cat. nos. 464-465, where they are erroneously said to have been excavated in 1842/1843.
[3] The sarcophagi were sold jointly to the MFA and the Boston Athenaeum. This sarcophagus was assigned to the Athenaeum, and was placed on loan to the MFA from 1887 until it was sold in 1975.
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