Stonework, Αrtefacts

Marble Attic grave stele

end of 5th c. BC

White marble

H. 71.5 cm

Collection Number Δ 1168 + J. Paul Getty Museum 73.ΑΑ.115

The grave stele consists of three fragments, which had been dispersed in different museums in the past and were reassembled recently. The upper right fragment belonged to the Canellopoulos Museum, while the two larger parts were exhibited in the J. Paul Getty Museum (USA). Following an official request by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, the two parts were repatriated in 2012 and reassembled with the Canellopoulos Museum fragment.

The stele depicts two women. The seated one on the left is the deceased. Dressed in himation and chiton, she holds a wooden box and opens the lid. The woman on the right is a young servant who holds an unspecified object with the left hand and touches her chin with the right one.

The back side of the stele is also of interest. While the fragment of the Canellopoulos Museum retains its original thickness, the parts that had been exported to the USA are much thinner, most probably because they has been sawed by the illicit dealers for easier transportation.

PUBLICATION
– Zagdoun M.-A. 1978. ‘Collection Paul Canellopoulos (XI). Sculptures’, Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 102, pp. 285-324, ειδ. 291-292.

– Zarkadas Α. 2013. «Άγνωστα γλυπτά από το Μουσείο Παύλου και Αλεξάνδρας Κανελλοπούλου», in Oikonomou S. – Dogka-Τolis Μ. (eds), Αρχαιολογικές Συμβολές. Τόμος Β’ Αττική. Α’ και Γ’ Εφορείες Προϊστορικών και Κλασικών Αρχαιοτήτων, Αθήνα, 247-278, esp. 247-250.
– see also The J. Paul Getty Museum. Guidebook, Malibu 1976, 25, 39.