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Limestone sarcophagus

ca. 475–450 BCE
Not on view
On the long sides A: Hunt
B: Banquet

On the short sides A: Chariot scene
B: Perseus departs with the head of the Gorgon Medusa. The winged horse Pegasos and the hero Chrysaor are born from her severed neck.

Like the large sarcophagus in the adjacent gallery, this chest-shaped sarcophagus stands on four square feet and has a lid in the form of a peaked roof. The scenes carved in low relief on all four sides have parallels in Greek art but show variations in style and in detail that were introduced by the artists working at Golgoi. In the hunting scene two pairs of warriors armed as hoplites (foot soldiers) attack a bull and a boar while a single archer approaches from the left with drawn bow. Three trees fill the background and a horse, a rooster, and a dog complete the composition. While pairs of fighting warriors were common motifs in Greek art, the Cypriot sculptor has conflated a battle scene with a hunting scene and has also taken more liberties with the scale of the animals than is usually found in Greek art. The archer may represent the deceased, and he may also be shown on the other three sides of the sarcophagus: reclining alone in the banquet scene, riding in the chariot drawn by four horses, and even as Perseus, the Greek hero who decapitated Medusa, the Gorgon who turned men to stone.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Limestone sarcophagus
  • Period: Classical
  • Date: ca. 475–450 BCE
  • Culture: Cypriot
  • Medium: Limestone
  • Dimensions: 38 × 79 9/16 × 28 13/16 in., 1500 lb. (96.5 × 202 × 73.2 cm, 680.4 kg)
  • Classification: Stone Sculpture
  • Credit Line: The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76
  • Object Number: 74.51.2451
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

More Artwork

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Fragment of a limestone grave relief with a banquet scene, Limestone, Cypriot
Fragment of a limestone grave relief with a banquet scene
Cypriot
ca. 450–425 BCE
Limestone sarcophagus: the Amathus sarcophagus, Hard limestone, Cypriot
Limestone sarcophagus: the Amathus sarcophagus
Cypriot
2nd quarter of the 5th century BCE
Limestone head of beardless male votary, Limestone, Cypriot
Limestone head of beardless male votary
Cypriot
mid–1st century BCE
Limestone head of a bearded man, Limestone, Cypriot
Limestone head of a bearded man
Cypriot
early 6th century BCE
Limestone statue of Aphrodite holding winged Eros, Limestone, Cypriot
Limestone statue of Aphrodite holding winged Eros
Cypriot
late 4th century BCE

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