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Cinerary Urn

Culture
Roman, 753 BCE–395 CE
Period
Imperial period, 27 BCE–330 CE
Date
mid-1st–2nd century CE
Material
Marble
associated with
Italy, Europe
from
Rome, Italy
Classification
Containers, stone & mineral
Collection
Ancient Art
Current Location
On View, Gallery 253
Dimensions
body: 13 1/2 × 12 1/2 in. (34.3 × 31.8 cm)
body interior diameter: 9 1/8 in. (23.2 cm)
lid: 7 1/4 × 12 in. (18.4 × 30.5 cm)
Credit Line
Museum Purchase
Rights
Public Domain
Object Number
47:1922a,b
NOTES
Created to hold the cremated ashes of an upper or middle class individual, this marble urn is decorated with Roman religious motifs: lush garlands suspended from large candleholders. Like flowers at a modern funeral, garlands of fruit were symbols of abundance and well-being. Their presence on the urn expresses a wish for the prosperity of the deceased in the afterlife. The candleholders and the torch on the sides also represent elements of the actual funerary ritual, which took place at night.
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