Sarcophagus with Herakles and Cerberus - I
The sarcophagus in arranged in five sections: a central panel, two intermediate fields decorated with strigillated panels, and two mirror figures in the corners.
In the central panel Heracles, wearing the leonté, the skin of the Nemean lion, and holding a club in his left hand, exits the door of Hades dragging Cerberus, the three-handed guardian of the Underworld, with him.
On strigillated sarcophagi limited space in the corner panels allowed only one figure on either side. This reduction affected both their iconography and the symbolic values which the two figures were left to carry. Sometimes, in this case two winged hunter Erotes, a single figure type is used for the mirror images that occupy each corner panel.
The lid of the sarcophagus has at its center a tabula on the sides of which there are Erotes who support garlands; in lid corners seated winged Erotes, as iconographic symbol of death, are leaning against inverted torches.
Marble sarcophagus
Lunense marble
H. 60 cm - L. 240 cm - W. 65 cm
180 – 200 AD
From Rome, Piazzale del Verano
Musei Capitolini, Centrale Montemartini, Inv. S 1394
Herakles Heracles Eracle Hercules Ercole Cerberus Cerbero “roman sarcophagus” “sarcofago romano” “strigillated sarcophagus” “sarcofago strigilato” “Arte Romana” “art Roman” Romano marble marmo sculpture Roma Rome “Musei Capitolini” “Capitoline Museums” “Centrale Montemartini” “S 1394” 1394
Sarcophagus with Herakles and Cerberus - I
The sarcophagus in arranged in five sections: a central panel, two intermediate fields decorated with strigillated panels, and two mirror figures in the corners.
In the central panel Heracles, wearing the leonté, the skin of the Nemean lion, and holding a club in his left hand, exits the door of Hades dragging Cerberus, the three-handed guardian of the Underworld, with him.
On strigillated sarcophagi limited space in the corner panels allowed only one figure on either side. This reduction affected both their iconography and the symbolic values which the two figures were left to carry. Sometimes, in this case two winged hunter Erotes, a single figure type is used for the mirror images that occupy each corner panel.
The lid of the sarcophagus has at its center a tabula on the sides of which there are Erotes who support garlands; in lid corners seated winged Erotes, as iconographic symbol of death, are leaning against inverted torches.
Marble sarcophagus
Lunense marble
H. 60 cm - L. 240 cm - W. 65 cm
180 – 200 AD
From Rome, Piazzale del Verano
Musei Capitolini, Centrale Montemartini, Inv. S 1394
Herakles Heracles Eracle Hercules Ercole Cerberus Cerbero “roman sarcophagus” “sarcofago romano” “strigillated sarcophagus” “sarcofago strigilato” “Arte Romana” “art Roman” Romano marble marmo sculpture Roma Rome “Musei Capitolini” “Capitoline Museums” “Centrale Montemartini” “S 1394” 1394