Object details

Object number

S9s1

Creator(s)

Italian

Title

Sarcophagus and Architectural Elements

Date

3rd century - 17th century

Medium

Carved marble and limestone

Dimensions

320 x 266.7 cm (126 x 105 in.)

Provenance

Purchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner from the Italian painter and antiquarian Attilio Simonetti (1843-1925), Rome for 15,000 lire on 23 October 1906. (formerly used as a fountain)

Commentary

Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.

Bibliography

Gilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 59. (column bases: as two animals [lions?], "May have been carved at almost any time during the 'Dark Ages,' or as late as the 14th century"; sarcophagus: as Roman, classical; frieze, arch, and colonettes: as Early Christian period; capitals: as antique Rome or 15th century)
Cornelius C. Vermeule III. "Roman Sarcophagi in America: A Short Inventory" in Philipp von Zabern (ed.). Festschrift für Friedrich Matz (Mainz, 1962), p. 101, no. 5.
Rollin Hadley. “Notes, Records, Comments.” Gardner Museum Calendar of Events 7, no. 33 (12 Apr. 1964), p. 2. (column bases: as "an older pair" of lions)
Estin Atil. Islamic Art at the Gardner Museum. Unpublished manuscript. (Boston, 1971), p. 20, no. 21. (column bases: as Coptic (?), possibly Egyptian)
Cornelius C. Vermeule III et al. Sculpture in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 1977), pp. 43-44. no. 60 (sarcophagus: as Roman, 3rd or 4th century AD); p. 173, no. 222 (column bases: as Italian, 12th century?); p. 177, no. 251 (frieze of heads: as Italian, 17th century).
Anne Hawley et al. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Daring by Design (Boston, 2014), pp. 56-57.

Gallery

East, North, And West Cloister

---

Rights and reproductions

The use of images, text, and all other media found on this website is limited. Please review Rights and Reproductions for details.