Funerary stele with relief scene
Γ378
White marble
Right side missing and much chipping to figures and cornice due to reuse
Height: 192 cm. Width: 119 cm.
Heraklion
Reused in a medieval duct in the NW corner of Eleftherias Square
Late Classical period:
375-350 BC:
Gallery:
XXVICase:
Not in caseExhibition thematic unit:
Sculpture. Archaic period (7th-6th c. BC). Classical period (5th-4th c. BC)Description
Funerary stele, unusually large by Cretan standards, in the form of a temple with a horizontal cornice. The deceased is portrayed on the right as a mature, bearded man, wearing an unusual combination of a sleeved short tunic (chitoniskos) reaching to above the knee and a short cloak. Facing him is a female figure showing him the contents of an open casket, the lid of which he is touching. Between them stands a small naked boy, holding a tablet and an aryballos hanging from a strap (originally painted). The overall composition and the individual figures seem peculiar and lacking parallels when compared to Attic models. If, however, we recognise the hand of a local artisan, with Attic training but adapting his style to the requirements of the local customer who ordered the stele, we realise that the monument is an original and exceptionally interesting individualised funerary relief, perhaps intended for a family tomb.Bibliography:
Ν. Platon, "Η αρχαιολογική κίνησις εν Κρήτη κατά το έτος 1955", Κρητικά Χρονικά Θ (1955), 565. P. Zanker, "Ein neugefundenes Grabrelief aus Heraklion", Archäologischer Anzeiger 1965, 145-160. K. Sporn, "Graves and Grave Markers in Archaic and Classical Crete", in Ol. Pilz, G. Seelentag (eds), Cultural Practices and Material Culture in Archaic and Classical Crete, Proceedings of the International Conference, Mainz, May 20-21, 2011, Berlin/Boston 2014, 219-241, esp. 234-5 and n. 72.Author:
K. S.Photographs' metadata