Funerary Lekythos

about 375 B.C.

Medium

Marble with polychromy

Dimensions

58.1 cm

Status

In Museum Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-193504

In the late 400s and early 300s B.C., Greek grave monuments sometimes took the form of a large *lekythos.* The usual *lekythos* was a small terracotta vessel used to hold oil for funerary rituals, but the shape was monumentalized and translated into marble for use as a grave marker. Only a fragment of this marble *lekythos* survives. Originally, it had a cylindrical body resting on a small foot, and a tall neck rising from the body of the vessel.  Marble grave *lekythoi* were usually decorated with a scene carved in relief on the body of the vessel. The unknown sculptor of this piece has depicted a woman shown in three-quarter view. She draws her cloak over her head in a gesture often associated with marriage. The mixing of bridal and funerary imagery is not unusual in ancient Greece. Both marriage and death were perceived as a sudden - perhaps frightening - transition to a new and strange place, and were accompanied by washing, ritual offerings and other similar acts.  Traces of a painted pattern are still visible on the shoulder of the *lekythos.* Parts of the carved relief may also have been accentuated with paint.