Sarcophagus with polychrome relief. Cerveteri, Banditacci Necropolis, Tomb of the Sarcophagi. 400 -

Sarcophagus with polychrome relief. Cerveteri, Banditacci Necropolis, Tomb of the Sarcophagi. 400 - 375 B.C.; marble. Gregorian Etruscan Museum.

“On the lid the deceased is depicted reclining, cloaked, crowned, adorned with jewels and with a patera for libations; next to the head there is a folded liber linteus, a book written on a linen cloth, perhaps a sacred text. The seahorses on the tympanumallude to the journey into the Underworld by sea, while the two semi-reclining figures with a krater recall a symposium transposed into the hereafter. On the casket there is a funeral procession with the deceased depicted on a chariot with his wife, accompanied by musicians (playing the tibia, the lyre and the horn) and dancers, with a cloaked figure and a priest with a lituus (stick curved like a staff). It is one of the most ancient specimens in the Etruscan series. The iconography combines the novelty of the procession with themes of archaic tradition: the banquet, musicians, dance and the married couple in attendance.” (x)

[id: photo of the marble sarcophagus described above. on the lid, the deceased, a bearded man, lies with a book next to his head. the side of the sarcophagus is decorated with a depiction of a funeral procession. traces of brown pigment can be seen on the faces and arms of the figures in the procession. end id.]