Fragment of a limestone relief with standing figure
- Late Classical or Hellenistic
- 4th–3rd century B.C.
- Greek, South Italian, Tarentine
- Overall: 10 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 3 3/8in. (26.7 x 16.5 x 8.6cm)
- Stone Sculpture
- Credit Line:
- Rogers Fund, 1996
- Accession Number:
A figure, possibly Orpheus, standing with right foot resting on a short pedastal.
The scene comprised of three fragments may symbolize the journey of the deceased to the Underworld. To the left, 1996.151.1, are Hades and Persephone enthroned; at center, 1996.151.2, the standing figure may be Orpheus, and to the right, 1996.305, Hermes, who conducted the souls of the dead to Hades, takes the hand of a woman dressed in a chiton, with her himation (cloak) pulled over her head and around her waist. She stands in front of a cave-like opening that represents the entrance to the Underworld. Such reliefs are known to have been popular on funerary monuments at Tarentum.