Fragment of a limestone relief with two standing figures

4th–3rd century BCE

Not on view

Restituted

This artwork was restituted in August 2025. It is no longer in the museum’s collection.

The large fragment, framed on three sides, is the right end of an oblong relief. Shows two figures standing in a frontal position at a cavelike opening which is set against the outer edge of the panel. A woman dressed in a chiton, with her himation pulled over her head and around her waist, stands quietly near the cave extending her right hand to a tall nude male figure with a cloak slung over his shoulder and a round form behind his shoulder which may represent a petasos tied around his neck. The man reaches with his right arm toward whatever was represented next to him on the right and apparently extended his other arm to hold the woman's hand. A ribbon-like form appears to flutter near his right arm and above it the remains of a rounded shape can be seen close to the upper rim of the relief. Since such reliefs are known to come from funerary monuments it is tempting to see the cave as an entrance to the Underworld. The nude figure may well have been Hermes, conductor of souls to Hades. The god is often shown wearing a wide-brimmed traveling hat, holding a deceased person by the hand.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Fragment of a limestone relief with two standing figures
Period: Late Classical or Hellenistic
Date: 4th–3rd century BCE
Culture: Greek, South Italian, Tarentine
Medium: Limestone
Dimensions: Overall: 13 x 17 3/4 x 3 1/4 in. (33 x 45.1 x 8.3 cm)
Classification: Stone Sculpture
Credit Line: Purchase, Mrs. Sandy Brue Gift, 1996
Object Number: 1996.305
Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

Audio

1232. Overview: Tarentine Case

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