Name/Title
Roman Sarcophagus Reused as a BenchEntry/Object ID
HM-350Description
Date
Sarcophagus, probably second to fourth century CE; reworking as a bench, probably early 20th century.
Material
The dirtiness of the sarcophagus’s marble surface precludes a definitive description of the marble and determination of its type; some cleaner parts suggest it may be very fine grained and Carraran.
Measurements
Dimensions of the bench
Length, from back, top: 179.4 cm
Height: 89 cm (HC measurement)
Width, left narrow side, top: 54.3 cm
Width, right narrow side, top: 55.5 cm
Dimensions of exterior of sarcophagus
Length, from back, top: 179.4 cm
Height, left narrow side, from back: 40.4 cm
Width, left narrow side, top: 54.3 cm
Width, right narrow side, top: 55.5 cm
Thickness of wall, back, middle: 7.5 cm
Thickness of wall (minimum), left narrow side: 7.6 cm
Thickness of wall (minimum), right narrow side: 8.0 cm
Thickness of wall, front, left narrow side, top: 7.0 cm
Thickness of wall, front, right narrow side, top: 6.5 cm
Dimensions of interior of sarcophagus
Length of floor of chest (maximum): 157.0 cm
Height of chest from the back, middle: 30.6 cm
Width of floor of chest: 41.0 cm
Thickness of floor of chest, front, middle: 9.0 cm
Condition
The bench is a composite of a reworked Roman sarcophagus and adjoined pseudo-medieval decorative elements. See further Description and Discussion below.
Provenance
Unavailable
Description
The bench consists of a few parts. The most significant and largest is the seat made up of a Roman sarcophagus without its front relief. A support at either end of the bench holds up the narrow sides of the sarcophagus. A pseudo-medieval arch in relief is carved into the bench’s narrow sides and a pseudo-medieval column and capital adorn the front of each support and the cut-away area of the front of the narrow ends of the sarcophagus. The upper part of the front of the narrow ends of the sarcophagus have been re-carved as the molding of an armrest.
Discussion
The sarcophagus was identified as such by its size, proportions, and especially the typically curved narrow ends. The measurements approximate three significant exterior distances on a late second-century sarcophagus with Erotes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA, 56.145). Note especially the first.
MMA, length, measured from the front, bottom = 179.3 cm
HC, length, measured from the back, top = 179.4 cm
MMA, width measured from the top of the right narrow side = 52.0 cm
HC, width measured from the top of the left narrow side = 54.3 cm
HC, width measured from the top of the right narrow side = 55.5 cm
MMA, height measured from the front, right side = 43.4 cm
HC, height measured from the back, left side = 40.4 cm
For a similar length, see a sea-thiasos sarcophagus in the Camposanto, Pisa at 179.95 cm.
Furthermore, some measurements approximate integers of large basic units of ancient Roman measure and thereby support its antiquity. With a Roman foot at 29.6 cm, the length is merely 1.8 cm longer than 6 Roman feet (177.6 cm). The thickness of the back wall is 1 mm greater than 1 palm, ¼ of a Roman foot (7.4 cm); the minimum thickness of the left narrow wall is 2 mm greater than 1 palm. Although it reflects small units of measure, it is worth noting that the width of the right narrow side is 1 Roman foot + 14 digits (55.5 cm; 16 digits, each 1.85 cm, equal 1 Roman foot).
The interior lacks the typical rough chisel work of a Roman sarcophagus because it was smoothed out for an appropriate sitting area and then discreetly marked with a few chisel marks to suggest age.
Two unevenly shaped cavities on the left side of the rim and one on the right have been filled, but the significance of them is unclear.
As for why the front relief of the sarcophagus was removed, probably it was richly carved and by itself would make for a profitable sale. A fine relief set into a collector’s wall would be less cumbersome and more displayable than an entire otherwise plain sarcophagus.
Bibliography
Unpublished.
R Cohon, October 8, 2023Collection
SculptureLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
BenchNomenclature Sub-Class
Seating FurnitureNomenclature Class
FurnitureNomenclature Category
Category 02: FurnishingsResearch Notes
Notes
1. Personal communication, Cohon to J. Leysath and R. Sherman, Hammond Castle, 8 April, 2022.
2. McCann 1978, 22, 118–21, cat. no. 19, figs. 149, 152–54; Cohon 2015, 83 cat. no. 14; Zanker et al. 2019, 287, cat. no. 141.
3. Measurement taken from the front, top: Cohon 2015, 84, cat. no. 32. For the sarcophagus more generally: Arias et al. 1977, 60–61, A 9 est., figs. 17–18.
4. Cohon 2015, 80–81.
Arias, P., E. Cristiani, and E. Gabba. 1977. Camposanto Monumentale di Pisa. Le antichità. Pisa: Pacini Editore.
Cohon, R. 2015. "Roman Metrics and Roman Sarcophagi." In Römische Sarkophage: Akten des Internationalen Werkstattgesprächs 11.–13. Oktober 2012, edited by B. Porod and G. Koiner, 74–91. Graz: Universalmuseum Joanneum.
McCann, A. M. 1978. Roman Sarcophagi in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Zanker, P., S. Hemingway, C. Lightfoot, and J. Mertens. 2019. Roman Art: A Guide through the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Collection. New York: Scala Publishers.
R. Cohon, October 8, 2023