Name/Title
Carved Marble Fragment with Chariot & 3 figuresEntry/Object ID
HM-319Description
Fragment of a Child Sarcophagus with Unfinished Portrait and Wagon Scene
Roman
Imperial Period
Late third century CE
Material
Marble, large grain, dark yellowish-brown hue, probably Greek
Dimensions
Height: 25.2 cm (height) x 32.5 cm (length)
Condition
Fragmentary: the middle and part of the left side of the relief are preserved; the surface has been badly weathered.
Description
A bust of a bare-chested child in a roundel, or clipeus, rests on a short pedestal; his head is turned slightly to our right, but his features have been left uncarved. He holds in his right hand a pet dove facing the same direction.
On our left, the boy appears seated in a two-wheeled cart drawn by two sheep headed to the left, away from the roundel. He holds the reins in his left hand and a whip in his right. Placed directly over the wheels, the chair has a distinctive curved back and armrest. Between the spokes of the wheel appears what seems to be the “wagon tongue,” linking the cart to the animals. An attendant in the background, behind the sheep, faces him. A fragmentary pillar is on the far left and a person’s right foot facing forward appears on the far right below the roundel.
Provenance
In shipping documents of 16 July 1929, the dealer Armando Pacifici recorded without detailed description seven Roman marble fragments that he acquired in March 1927 from A. Siniscalchib and Arturo Dolcetti in Rome, and that he sold to Hammond, Jr. In all likelihood, this cart relief was among them.
Location
Courtyard, east wall
Bibliography
Unpublished, archived documentsCollection
SculptureMade/Created
Notes
Date: late 3rd century
Early Date: 280
Late Date: 299Lexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
ReliefNomenclature Primary Object Term
SculptureNomenclature Class
ArtNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsGeneral Notes
Note Type
1966 Corinne Witham Guidebook (28)Note Type
1966 Corinne Witham Guidebook (30)Note Type
HM319 JRA-Forgery-Gloucester-Gen-Sarc-Child-Wagon 8-4-24Note Type
1930-08-18 from Pacifici (Stein, Piraino, window, balcony & chariot relief) p(1-2)
