CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN MARBLE CINERARY URN
CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
Cylindrical in form, sculpted in relief, the front with two confronting griffins, their heads turned back, an uninscribed tabula between them, the back with a frontal facing cupid with his arms and wings outsplayed, his foliate legs issuing scrolling tendrils rising on either side, punctuated by rosettes, the base with a cyma reversa molding, the domed lid with a knob handle, with radiating overlapping acanthus leaves
22 ½ in. (57.2 cm) high

Provenance

Albert Spaulding (1888-1953), Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
The Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, 1953-1973 (never formally accessioned into the collection).
Acquired by the current owner, Pittsfield and Florida, 1973.

Lot Essay

For related examples see nos. 489 and 521, in F. Sinn, Stadtrömische Marmorurnen.

This urn was once the property of the American violinist, Albert Spaulding, a resident of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Upon his death in 1953, Spaulding bequeathed his home and its contents to the Berkshire Museum. In 1973, the museum sold the home to the current owner, along with this urn, which was located in its garden until recently.

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