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Unknown Maker, Etruscan

Lidded box (cista)
Now On View

Maker

Unknown Maker, Etruscan

Culture

Etruscan

Title

Lidded box (cista)

Year

late 4th-mid 3rd century BCE

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

bronze

Geography

Archaeological Site: Praeneste, Praenestine; Archaeological Site: Pompeii, Praenestine

Dimensions

Height: 29.5 cm (11 5/8 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke

Object Number

06.014

Type

Publications

Exhibition History

Ancient Greek and Roman Galleries
Sep 22, 2010

Label copy

Scenes on Praenestine cistae are not always easy to decipher. The veiled woman at the center of the composition could be variously interpreted as a bride preparing for her wedding, as a woman about to be initiated into the cult of the god Dionysos (suggested by the woman to her right, who carries a staff topped by a pine cone), and finally s a deceased woman about to embark on the journey to the underworld. The presence of the messenger god Hermes, seen from behind wearing a winged hat and holding the herald’s staff, supports the last interpretation. Hermes is waiting to escort the veiled woman to her groom, the god Hades, who stands beneath the columns on the eft. Hermes is depicted in his role of guide of the dead to the underworld (psychopompos). It is therefore likely that this elaborately carved cosmetic box was a funerary gift for a deceased woman.

To Bid Farewell
Images of Death in the Ancient World
Apr 03, 1987 – Jun 07, 1987

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Etruscan
Lidded box (cista), late 4th-mid 3rd century BCE
Bronze
Height: 29.5 cm (11 5/8 inches)
Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke 06.014

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