Cinerary Urn

Description

This cinerary urn likely held the cremated remains of two individuals, presumably a husband and wife. The lid features portraits of the deceased flanked by symbols of the Roman goddess of love, Venus (the Greek Aphrodite), including dolphins and winged erotes, the goddess’s mythological companions. The front of the urn contains two rectangular panels, which were intended for personalized inscriptions but were instead left blank. Surrounding the panels are garland swags and an ox skull, both motifs associated with sacrificial rites, as well as rabbits, symbols of love and immortality.

Provenance

Emily Crane Chadbourne (1871- 1964), Paris, London, and Chicago; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1926.

Cinerary Urn

Ancient Roman

Late 1st-early 2nd century

Accession Number

29231

Medium

Marble

Dimensions

a (urn): 23.1 × 53.9 × 27.6 cm (9 1/8 × 21 ¼ × 10 7/8 in) b (lid): 12.7 × 53.3 × 28.5 cm (5 × 21 × 11 ¼ in)

Classification

stone

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne