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Lot Essay
The battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs was a popular subject in the Greek world, especially in the 5th century B.C., where it was prominently portrayed on the west pediment of the temple of Zeus at Olympia, the west frieze of the Hephaisteion in Athens and the metopes of the Parthenon. As Padgett explains (The Centaur's Smile, The Human Animal in Early Greek Art, p. 17), the theme of centauromachy "came to symbolize the defeat of barbarism, in particular, the Persian."
The myth remained prevalent into the Roman Period, and was popularized again by Ovid in the late 1st century B.C.-early 1st century A.D. (Metamorphoses 12). While Centaurs appear on several Dionysiac sarcophagi in the Roman Period, the depiction of a centauromachy on a Roman sarcophagus is quite rare. The only other known example depicting the myth, and sculpted in a similar style, is in Ostia (see no. 404a, p. 463 in Sengelin "Kentauroi et Kentaurides" in LIMC). Koch suggests (op. cit.) that the present example is an important addition to the corpus of existing Roman sarcophagi, and that it was likely produced in the same workshop.
The myth remained prevalent into the Roman Period, and was popularized again by Ovid in the late 1st century B.C.-early 1st century A.D. (Metamorphoses 12). While Centaurs appear on several Dionysiac sarcophagi in the Roman Period, the depiction of a centauromachy on a Roman sarcophagus is quite rare. The only other known example depicting the myth, and sculpted in a similar style, is in Ostia (see no. 404a, p. 463 in Sengelin "Kentauroi et Kentaurides" in LIMC). Koch suggests (op. cit.) that the present example is an important addition to the corpus of existing Roman sarcophagi, and that it was likely produced in the same workshop.