Images(2)

Sarcophagus Fragment

Artist Unknown

Date3rd century

MediumMarble

Dimensions21 x 28 1/2 x 17 in. (53.3 x 72.4 x 43.2 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation (Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Hanes)

Object numberG.79.11.8

On View

On view

Label TextThis marble fragment was once part of a tubshaped sarcophagus that contained the body of the deceased. Sarcophagus burials were rare in the Roman world before the second century because Romans practiced cremation. The use of sarcophagi was influenced by the ancient Greeks and Etruscans, who had buried their loved ones in this manner at different points in history. It cannot be determined whether this sarcophagus belonged to someone of pagan or Christian faith.

Like most marble sculpture in antiquity, this fragment was once painted. Traces of pigments were detected in the recesses of the carving.

[C. Rocheleau, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," 2022]ProvenanceWith Edward H. Merrin Gallery, New York; sold to NCMA (funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Hanes, Winston-Salem, NC), 1979.Published ReferencesEdgar Peters Bowron, ed., Introduction to the Collections (Chapel Hill: published for the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, by The University of North Carolina Press, 1983), illus. (b-w) 60.
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “Recent Acquisitions,” November 8, 1979-May 1980.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “Reflections on Light: Works from the NCMA Collection,” September 9, 2020–August 15, 2021.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–present. Object Rights Statement

The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) makes images of its collection available online to support research and scholarship and to inform and educate the public. Certain works of art, as well as the photographs of those works of art, may be protected by copyright, trademark, or related interests not owned by the NCMA. The responsibility for ascertaining whether any such rights exist and for obtaining all other necessary permissions remains with the applicant. To request images and/or permissions from the NCMA, please complete our online request form.