Funerary Plaque | Harvard Art Museums

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 1932.56.129
Title: Funerary Plaque
Classification: Plaques
Work Type: plaque
Date: 41-54 CE
Period: Roman Imperial period, Early
Culture: Roman
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/292045

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Luna marble

Dimensions

39.5 x 29 x 13.5 cm (15 9/16 x 11 7/16 x 5 5/16 in.)

Inscriptions and Marks

inscription: on lower edge, in Latin,

S T A T O R I A . M . F . Q A R A
inscription: on the back, in Latin in seven lines,

C . S T A T O R I U S /

M ' E . T E R T U L L A /

S T A T O R I A E . C . F /

A P P I A E A N . C . X X I I /

C . S T A O R I O P R O C U /

I O . E . A N N X X V

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History: Dr. Harris Kennedy, Milton, MA (by 1932), gift; to the William Hayes Fogg Art Museum, 1932.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line: Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Dr. Harris Kennedy, Class of 1894
Accession Year: 1932
Object Number: 1932.56.129
Division: Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact: am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Stone Sculptures: The Greek, Roman and Etruscan Collections of the Harvard University Art Museums , written 1990
104

Funerary Plaque

The surface of the face is fairly evenly obliterated, with only the general outline of the face and the inner corners of the eyes being visible. The surface of the hand is destroyed, save for the third and fourth fingers. The beads of the necklace are broken on the surface, and the robe is chipped on the right breast. The frame is chipped at the top right corner and also a little left of the center. It appears to have been recut around the outer edge to imitate the moldings of an Etruscan (Italic) to early Roman cippus. In this case, the back was smoothed off and the longer inscription added in modern times.

The styles of the hair, eyes, face in general, and clothing all suggest a date in the time of Claudius (A.D. 41-54). The lady even looks something like Messalina.

The rectangular plaque has the head of a woman in relief. Her hair is drawn back, and the ends hang in curls over each shoulder. She wears a necklace of beads. Her right hand clasps her garment below the left shoulder.

The inscriptions read:

(on the lower edge)
S T A T O R I A - M - F - Q A R Ᾱ
(on the back)
C - S T A T O R I V S
S I P P O - M A N I L
M ‘ E - T E R T U L L A
S T A T O R I A E - C - F
A P P I A E A N - C - X X I I
C - S T A O R I O P R O C V
I O - E - A N N X X V

Cornelius Vermeule and Amy Brauer

Publication History

Cornelius C. Vermeule III and Amy Brauer, Stone Sculptures: The Greek, Roman and Etruscan Collections of the Harvard University Art Museums, Harvard University Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 1990), p. 116, no. 104
John Bodel, "Thirteen Latin Funerary Inscriptions at Harvard University", American Journal of Archaeology (1992), Vol. 96.1, 71-100, p. 97-100, no. 13, figs. 14-15.
John Bodel and Stephen Tracy, Greek and Latin Inscriptions in the USA: A checklist, American Academy in Rome (New York, 1997), p. 53.

Exhibition History

32Q: 3620 University Study Gallery, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/20/2018 - 05/06/2018

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

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1932.56.129: Funerary Plaque