Funerary Art Research Paper

This paper is a formal analysis of the Marble grave stele with a family group relief sculpture. It is a pentelic marble style relief standing at 171.1cm tall carved by a master. It is from the Late Classical period of Greek, Attic which was completed around ca.360 B.C. . I chose to analyze this piece as apposed to the others because I’m mainly attracted to art and sculptures from the Greek era. The overall color used in this relief is ivory with a few cracks and pieces broken off. There is some discoloration which causes the color to come off as slightly light brown for most of the relief. The sculpture appears larger compared to the other sculptures in the art room. It represents a family which includes a man, his wife, and their

This sarcophagus reminds me the two that we did at class; they were sarcophagus of Lars Pulena and sarcophagus with reclining couple. This sarcophagus has a full- length portrait of a woman reclining on a Kline, seat utilized at junket. This style was created by earlier Etruscan funerary monuments adopted by the Romans. The scene on the base seems proposes children acting out the competition of adults wrestlers in Roman athletic event. To the left appears a judgment, who hands the palm of victory to the winner, who arms are

The artwork I chose to talk about is on page 232. Figure 8.16, Funerary Relief of a Circus Official, Ostia, 110-130. The medium of the artwork is made from Marble relief. The Tombs in the old days of roman families built outside of the city walls, along roadways entering the city. The vision of the monuments is to preserve individual’s fame, family honor, and status in the society. The extended family of the deceased also held feasts and putting out food and drink for the dead for enjoying. The large figure in the picture is the official himself, holding hands with his wife at the left side. The handshake symbolizes in the Roman art the indication of marriage. The palm branch symbolizes the victory. There are many accents in the artwork

Among the many artworks I have seen, I decided to discuss about the “Sarcophagus Depicting a Battle between Soldiers and Amazons (Warrior Women)” from the Roman civilization. It was built sometime in between 140 A.D. to 170 A.D and is approximately forty and a half inches in length, ninety-one and a half inches in width, and fifty and a half inches tall in height (“Roman Sarcophagus”). This masterpiece appealed to me because of the unique approach that has been designed to honor the deceased. Many people are familiar with the formatting and inscriptions of a gravestone because it is usually engraved with an individual’s full name, birth date, and death date. During the Roman Empire, a sarcophagus, which is a coffin, was widely used to show decorative themes that includes: battle scenes, hunting scenes, weddings, or other memorable episodes from the life of the deceased individual. The most luxurious ones were made from marble surrounded by symbolic sculptures, figures and inscriptions on all four sides (“Sarcophagus”). Another feature that captured my attention was the large quantity of details used to bring out a lifelike aspect of the deceased individual’s favorable moments in their life. In this artwork, this sarcophagus was dedicated to a Roman commander. The exterior of the sarcophagus has been well-decorated and carved with exquisite details depicting a battle scene

This Etruscan- Roman piece of art is detailed all around, but also ideal as depictions look influential throughout the generations from the living patrician man holding the lifeless portrait busts of the two very distinct ancestors. The surface of the marble used to carve the male figure, and the portrait heads is very smooth and pale in colour, as the natural agent simulates’ realistic complexion through the veins present within the marble creating a three- dimensional illusion of meticulous naturalistic rendition of the human anatomy engraved with relief detail all around. The function of the portrait sculpture was to have a permanent documentation motivated by the realistic commemoration of one’s ancestors in a religious and ritualistic funeral use of death masks, that would have been cast from the face of the deceased. This became an obvious style of presenting recognizable prestige that conveyed the significance of

In Anavysos, Greece a statue of a Kouros was discovered dedicated to Kroisos. Kouros statues were male figures also known as “youths” that were erected on graves as a gift for the gods and as a marker for these graves. None of the statues were identical however you could see that the all had the same base image to be formed from. This particular one was in honor of Kroisos who died a very noble death in battle in the front lines so his family erected this statue. This piece is dated circa 530BCE and is 6’ 4” high carved from marble. This

Higgins, Joseph, and Chuck Bergman. "Evidence of the Afterlife." Death, Burial, and the Afterlife in Greece and Rome -. Web. 5 Nov. 2014. <http://www.netplaces.com/evidence-of-the-afterlife/afterlife-beliefs-in-ancient-and-modern-cultures/death-burial-and-the-afterlife-in-greece-and-rome.htm>.

Funeral ceremonies were extremely elaborate, especially for upper class citizens. Funerals had five parts in Ancient Rome; the procession, the cremation and burial, the eulogy, the feast, and the commemoration. Ceremonies began closely after death, as soon as all necessary preparations were made. At the home, the deceased’s body would be washed with warm water and then anointed. If the deceased person had held office, a wax impression of his features would be taken. Next, the body would be dressed in in a toga with all the regalia of the rank he was allowed to wear. Incense would be burned and pine woul dbe places outside the door to signify death in the house. In early and late times, when burial was more popular than cremation, a coing would be placed in between the teeth of the deceased, as payment for Charon, the ferryman of the underworld. These rites were simplified in poorer funerals, as well as done by a family member. However, for the rich, an undertaker, or designator, would do so().

Proper burial was essential to Romans to ensure malicious spirits did not rise from the underworld. The first part of the average funeral was the

The Romans' everyday routines explain how funerary customs played a central role in society from the late Republic to early Empire. More importantly, examining the rituals will illustrate if there was a connection to the increasing popularity of inhumation at that time. There was a blurred line between life and death that made it appear as if there was a paradoxical attitude towards death. The observation can be made that death was an end to a person's physical life on earth but it did not stop the deceased from being a part of the Roman society.7 Keeping the memory of the deceased alive was vital in family homes. For this to occur the dead could not be cremated; the funerary rites to follow would not allow it because the physical body was necessary. The idea of honoring the recently deceased as an ancestor was stressed in society.8 The funerals of Roman aristocrats were quite extravagant and the deceased aristocrats were treated as if they were still a part of the living. This wouldn't be possible with a cremated body, so another option was to properly clean the body for the display in the atrium of the family household before the final disposal of the

Both Etruscan and Roman tomb sculpture function to memorialize the departed allowing them to move on from the world of the living and seeks to comfort those who have lost the ones they love. The two societies have differing practices in regards to death and therefore sculptures concerning the subject are somewhat different with a few identifiable similarities. While both societies seek to comfort the living and commemorate the dead this is achieved through different approaches. The Etruscan Sarcophagus with reclining couple from Cerveteri, Italy and the Mummy of Artemidorus from Roman Egypt are two examples of contrasting representations of the dead. When analyzing tomb sculpture one of the main questions is whether the work adapts a retrospective approach (presentation of the deceased as they were in life) or a prospective one (the viewpoint of looking forward to life beyond the grave). While the Etruscan sarcophagus gives a more retrospective memorialization through the depiction of the couple in a state of regularity the Roman Mummy of Artemidorus presents a more prospective approach concerning the deceased through the emphasis of funerary practices.

It was often displayed as a monument and spoke to the greatness of the individual. These coffins were associated with ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome and Greece. Roman coffins or sarcophagi were ornate and usually reserved for the rich and the royal. However, in ancient Rome, this privilege was extended to warriors of stature as well.

Looking specifically at the stelas at Abydos we see that they are smaller in size and lack the artistic preciseness we see in later funerary complexes. The stelas at Abydos were set up in pairs though and do not feature the rounded top that we identify with the first and second dynasties. These stelas depict the tomb owner and are inscribed with their title and name. Looking at the funerary stela located in the Metropolitan Museum of art dated between the first and fourth century is composed of limestone and found at Abydos. Anubis is depicted as she “presents the deceased to the enthroned Osiris” (MET). Also depicted is the mourning goddesses Isis and Nephthys, both very crudely executed and are merely silhouetted forms with oversized heads. This exaggeration of form is suggested to represent the impact of the subject

The importance of burial plays a great part during the time period of The Ancient Romans as they had a strong emotional attachment to the ceremonial burial of the deceased and considered it such an honourable achievement to partake in such a religious ritual such as the funeral and burial. The Romans also wanted to demonstrate iusta facere towards the dead - the great deal of respect they had as well as the rights they had as the departed.

Celtic Art first appeared in Europe from grasslands in Southern Russia by the first migrations of Celts. They brought their own cultural styles such as iron-making, jewellery art, metalwork, pottery, artifacts and tools. The first style of Celtic art, Hallstatt culture, derived from Austria which lasted from 800 to 475 BCE. Hallstatt art is famous for their high quality iron tools and weapons, bronze-based manufacture of decorative items. When Hallstatt gradually disappeared, La Tene style developed. It got its name after archeologists found a place in Switzerland with over 2500 objects, mostly metal. There were four stages that lasted between 500 and 100 BCE: The Early Style (480-350 BCE), The Waldalgesheim Style (350-290 BCE), The Plastic