A Roman Imperial sarcophagus in Pentelic marble, made around 150 to 160 CE, probably for a Roman patron wishing to display his attachment to Greek culture, held by the Musee du Louvre, inventory Ma 475. Its front panel carries the nine Muses in a row, each individually identified by her own attribute: Calliope with a scroll for epic poetry, Thalia with a comic mask and shepherd's staff for comedy, Terpsichore with a lyre for dance, Euterpe with an aulos for lyric poetry, Polyhymnia veiled for sacred song, Clio with a tablet or scroll for history, Erato with a lyre or kithara for love poetry, Urania with a celestial globe and staff for astronomy, and Melpomene with a tragic mask and cothurnus boots for tragedy. The lid carries a Dionysian banquet scene with satyrs and maenads, and the side panels show Socrates, Homer, Hesiod and Mnemosyne, the Muses' mother.
Facts
Physical Form
MediumPentelic marble, high relief and bas relief 1 DimensionsHeight 92 cm; width 207 cm; depth 69 cm 1 Subject Matter
Depicted SubjectThe nine Muses, each identified by her own attribute, with Socrates, Homer, Hesiod and Mnemosyne on the side panels. 1 Origins
CountryItaly (found near Rome; now in France) 1 Custody
Current LocationMusee du Louvre, Paris, inventory Ma 475 1 Current Custodian Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
This source names Hesiod directly: "the side panels show Socrates, Homer, Hesiod and Mnemosyne, the Muses' mother."
This source names Homer directly: "and the side panels show Socrates, Homer, Hesiod and Mnemosyne, the Muses' mother."
This source names Mnemosyne directly: "show Socrates, Homer, Hesiod and Mnemosyne, the Muses' mother."
This source names Mnemosyne directly: "show Socrates, Homer, Hesiod and Mnemosyne, the Muses' mother."
This source names Socrates directly: "and maenads, and the side panels show Socrates, Homer, Hesiod and Mnemosyne, the Muses' mother."
This source names The Nine Muses directly: "Its front panel carries the nine Muses in a row, each individually identified by her own attribute: Calliope with a scroll for epic poetry, Thalia with a comic mask and shepherd's staff for comedy..."
Belongs to Tradition
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