Marble funerary lekythos of Kallisthenes
During the fifth and fourth centuries B.C., memorials to the dead sometimes took the form of monumental marble lekythoi. The shape was appropriate, for the lekythos–a vase used exclusively to hold oil–played an important part in funerary preparation and ritual. The figure of Kallisthenes, whose name is inscribed, is shown in low relief clasping the hand of a seated man, while a woman raises her hand to her chin in a customary gesture of mourning.
Artwork Details
- Title: Marble funerary lekythos of Kallisthenes
- Period: Classical
- Date: ca. 400–390 BCE
- Culture: Greek, Attic
- Medium: Marble, Pentelic
- Dimensions: H. 62 in. (157.5 cm)
- Classification: Stone Sculpture
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1947
- Object Number: 47.11.2
- Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art
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