Tomb painting
Tomb painting
Date4th century BCE
Mediumfresco on limestone
Dimensionsoverall: 34 1/4 x 49 x 2 1/4 in. (87 x 124.5 x 5.7 cm)
ClassificationPAINTINGS
Credit LineSBMA, Gift of Sheri L. Kelts
Object number1999.31
Subject(s)
- women
- bird
- animal
Collection
- Antiquity
Sub-Collection(s)
- Greek
On View
Not on viewCollections
Label TextPaestum was a colony founded by the Greeks in Southern Italy during the late 7th century BCE and over 200 painted tombs have been uncovered in the city’s necropolis. This limestone slab would have originally comprised one end of a tomb, lowered into the earth in four slabs and painted in a matter of hours. The burial would have taken place shortly after and the tomb would be sealed, removing the paintings from view but ultimately preserving them. In this fresco two women stand on either side of the deceased in gestures of mourning; above the funeral scene stands a large rooster, a symbol of fertility and the regeneration of life.
Egyptian
19th Dynasty, reign of Ramses II (1279-1213 BCE)
