Phylonoe and the world of the living - I
The grave stele of an Athenian wife and mother, dating to ca 370 BC. An inscription giving her name, Phylonoe, is inscribed on the epistyle of the naiskos framing the scene:
Ενθάδε Φιλονόη κείται θυγάτηρ Σώφρων Ευσύνετος πάσαν έχο[υσ᾽ άρετή]ν
Here lies Phylonoe, a wise, intelligent daughter, endowed with every virtue.
The woman dressed in chiton and himation, is seated on a diphros to the left, her feet resting on a footstool. Her right arm is bent, the hand lightly resting against her right shoulder, while the left forearm rests on her lap. Her head is inclined, and when the relief is seen from some distance, it seems as if she is actually supporting her chin with her right hand.
Facing Phylonoe, there stands a woman holding an infant in her arms. Despite the grave expression on her face, she does not look at the deceased, as is often the case with secondary figures on classical Attic grave reliefs. Her gaze is directed at the infant that extends one hand to its mother, the other hand unfortunately not preserved. Phylonoe does not react to her baby’s dramatic gesture. She no longer belongs to the world of the living, where her offspring still resides. The infant’s obvious longing for its mother is not reciprocated by the deceased, who is rather detached and immersed in deep melancholy. Even though the grave stele honours Phylonoe, it is the infant’s gesture that captures the spectator’s gaze first. The image of the baby trying in vain to attract its dead mother’s attention, enhances the iconography of the relief that marked the grave of a mother by creating a particularly tragic contrast between the baby’s pathos, and the mother’s impassivity. Thus, the iconography of the stele does not focus on the sad fate of the young mother alone, but also on the motherless baby she left behind, as well as the grievous separation of the two. Death and orphanhood are juxtaposed on the stele of Phylonoe, closely linked to one another. Hence, it is not surprising that the standing woman’s gaze is not directed at the deceased, but at the unfortunate infant that has been forever deprived of its mother.
Source: Katia Margariti, "A mother's gaze: Death and orphanhood on classical attic grave reliefs", Annual Papers on Mediterranean Archaeology 91 (2016).
Pentelic marble funerary stele
Preserved height: 150 cm.; width: 110 cm.
Ca. 370 – 360 BC
From Psychiko, Attica
Athens, National Museum Inv. No. 3790
Phylonoe and the world of the living - I
The grave stele of an Athenian wife and mother, dating to ca 370 BC. An inscription giving her name, Phylonoe, is inscribed on the epistyle of the naiskos framing the scene:
Ενθάδε Φιλονόη κείται θυγάτηρ Σώφρων Ευσύνετος πάσαν έχο[υσ᾽ άρετή]ν
Here lies Phylonoe, a wise, intelligent daughter, endowed with every virtue.
The woman dressed in chiton and himation, is seated on a diphros to the left, her feet resting on a footstool. Her right arm is bent, the hand lightly resting against her right shoulder, while the left forearm rests on her lap. Her head is inclined, and when the relief is seen from some distance, it seems as if she is actually supporting her chin with her right hand.
Facing Phylonoe, there stands a woman holding an infant in her arms. Despite the grave expression on her face, she does not look at the deceased, as is often the case with secondary figures on classical Attic grave reliefs. Her gaze is directed at the infant that extends one hand to its mother, the other hand unfortunately not preserved. Phylonoe does not react to her baby’s dramatic gesture. She no longer belongs to the world of the living, where her offspring still resides. The infant’s obvious longing for its mother is not reciprocated by the deceased, who is rather detached and immersed in deep melancholy. Even though the grave stele honours Phylonoe, it is the infant’s gesture that captures the spectator’s gaze first. The image of the baby trying in vain to attract its dead mother’s attention, enhances the iconography of the relief that marked the grave of a mother by creating a particularly tragic contrast between the baby’s pathos, and the mother’s impassivity. Thus, the iconography of the stele does not focus on the sad fate of the young mother alone, but also on the motherless baby she left behind, as well as the grievous separation of the two. Death and orphanhood are juxtaposed on the stele of Phylonoe, closely linked to one another. Hence, it is not surprising that the standing woman’s gaze is not directed at the deceased, but at the unfortunate infant that has been forever deprived of its mother.
Source: Katia Margariti, "A mother's gaze: Death and orphanhood on classical attic grave reliefs", Annual Papers on Mediterranean Archaeology 91 (2016).
Pentelic marble funerary stele
Preserved height: 150 cm.; width: 110 cm.
Ca. 370 – 360 BC
From Psychiko, Attica
Athens, National Museum Inv. No. 3790