Terracotta Campana relief plaque with Theseus lifting the rock
Terracotta Campana relief depicting the Greek mythological hero Theseus lifting a huge rock under which his father Aigeus, King of Athens had hidden the sword and sandals Theseus would need for his perilous journeys. Theseus' mother Aithra stands behind him, indicating the hiding spot. Above the scene is a band of ovolo molding, below is a band of palmettes. Traces of original reddish pigment remain on their sandals and on the palmettes.
A Greek inscription on the tile transliterates as THESEUS (on the back?). Note the holes, which are where the tiles were attached to a wall.
Campana reliefs (or Campana tiles or Campana plaques) are ancient Roman terracotta reliefs made from molds. These plaques - which frequently depict mythological scenes and characters - decorated public and private buildings and were originally brightly painted, and on many of them traces of paint remain. They are named after the Italian collector Giampietro Campana, who first published these reliefs in 1842.
These reliefs decorated the exteriors and interiors of buildings with scenes from mythology, daily life, landscapes, and ornamental themes. Numbers of sections could be combined to create a horizontal frieze.
Roman, 1st century BCE-1st century CE, Cerveteri, Lazio, Italy.
British Museum, London (1893,0628.5)
Terracotta Campana relief plaque with Theseus lifting the rock
Terracotta Campana relief depicting the Greek mythological hero Theseus lifting a huge rock under which his father Aigeus, King of Athens had hidden the sword and sandals Theseus would need for his perilous journeys. Theseus' mother Aithra stands behind him, indicating the hiding spot. Above the scene is a band of ovolo molding, below is a band of palmettes. Traces of original reddish pigment remain on their sandals and on the palmettes.
A Greek inscription on the tile transliterates as THESEUS (on the back?). Note the holes, which are where the tiles were attached to a wall.
Campana reliefs (or Campana tiles or Campana plaques) are ancient Roman terracotta reliefs made from molds. These plaques - which frequently depict mythological scenes and characters - decorated public and private buildings and were originally brightly painted, and on many of them traces of paint remain. They are named after the Italian collector Giampietro Campana, who first published these reliefs in 1842.
These reliefs decorated the exteriors and interiors of buildings with scenes from mythology, daily life, landscapes, and ornamental themes. Numbers of sections could be combined to create a horizontal frieze.
Roman, 1st century BCE-1st century CE, Cerveteri, Lazio, Italy.
British Museum, London (1893,0628.5)