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Roman

Fragment from a Sarcophagus, ca. CE 200

Description

Maker

Culture

Roman

Title

Fragment from a Sarcophagus

Year

ca. CE 200

Medium

Marble

Materials/Techniques

Materials

Dimensions

17.8 x 20.3 x 9.4 cm (7 x 8 x 3 11/16 inches)

Type

Credit

Gift of Charlotte F. Dailey

Object Number

02.004

Projects & Publications

Publications

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Rethinking the Romans

April 6, 2001 - January 2, 2009

This fragment was part of the upper edge of the long side of a sarcophagus, as indicated by a preserved portion of the upper molding. It depicts Omphale, a queen of ancient Lydia (in west Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey), and another woman to her left. According to legend, Herakles was enslaved to Omphale to atone for his crimes. He performed various exploits for her and became her lover. During his enslavement, Herakles was ordered by Omphale to exchange roles and clothes with her. She is shown here wearing Herakles’s lion skin. This is an extremely rare depiction of Omphale on a sarcophagus; only one other such representation is known.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Fragment from a Sarcophagus with the accession number of 02.004. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.