Roman
Rectangular Cinerary Urn, about 27 BCE - 68 CE
Pentelic marble, 64.8 x 44.5 x 31.8 cm (25 1/2 x 17 1/2 x 12 1/2 in.)
This vertical rectangular cinerary urn is carved of Pentelic Marble. The center panel has two sections. The lower section depicts two figures, standing in a doorway wearing long draped robes, who appear to be shaking hands. Above is a section that has a thick garland draped across a panel that is carved with illegible text. A ribbon-like decoration frames this panel. Each side of this urn has a column that is carved with a vine-like motif. It sits atop a plain marble slab. The backside is plain with a drainage hole in the upper quadrant to our right.
Chinese Loggia
Commentary
Intended to hold the cremated remains of the deceased, this Roman cinerary urn was dedicated by a son to ‘Parentibus Optimis’—the best of parents. On the front panel, a couple hold hands before an open doorway, symbolizing harmony in perpetuity in the afterlife. The panel above the door bears the traditional invocation in Latin, ‘Dis Manibus,’ or ‘to the spirits of the dead.’
This touching memorial was first displayed by Isabella in her Italian garden at Green Hill, before becoming a permanent part of the installation of cinerary urns in the Chinese Loggia.