Cinerary Urn of Plautia Hesperis
1st century
Medium
Marble
Dimensions
a (urn): 18.7 × 33.3 × 31.4 cm (7 3/8 × 13 1/8 × 13 3/8 in) b (lid): 6.9 × 33.6 × 32 cm (2 ¾ 13 ¼ 15 5/8 in)
Classification
stone
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
96273
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Prior to A.D. 100, the Romans typically cremated their dead and placed the ashes and remaining bones in urns and ossuaries (containers used to hold skeletal remains). The front of this urn is adorned with heart-shaped ivy leaves and an inscription that identifies the deceased, a young woman named Plautia Hesperis. Much like modern headstones, the inscription indicates the length of her life (“Lived 16 years”). The lid is adorned with simple rosettes at the corners, while an eagle, thought by the...
About the Artist
Ancient Roman
The artists attributed to "Ancient Roman" in museum collections represent the anonymous craftsmen who produced the vast output of sculpture, frescoes, mosaics, and reliefs defining Roman visual culture from the Republic (c. 509–27 BCE) to the late Empire (c. 395 CE). Individual identities remain elusive, as Roman makers were typically viewed as skilled tradesmen—often enslaved Greeks or provincial...