Fragment of a Funerary Naiskos (Monument in the Shape of a Temple)
about 330 BCE
Medium
Marble
Dimensions
152.4 × 111.8 × 33 cm (60 × 44 × 13 in.)
Classification
architectural fragment
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
55887
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Travelers in ancient Greece and Rome regularly encountered large stone monuments like this along the roadsides, marking the burial sites of elite families. They were made in a range of shapes and sizes and often preserve visual hints about who the deceased person was in life. In this example, three larger-than-life-sized figures are chiseled so deeply into the stone that they are carved nearly in the round. The two male individuals are shown clasping hands—a parting gesture common in funerary sc...
About the Artist
Ancient Greek
The artist known simply as "Ancient Greek" represents the anonymous masters of Attic vase painting, a cornerstone of Classical Greek art from the Archaic and Classical periods (circa 700–300 BCE). Little is known of their personal life, as ancient Greek potters and painters rarely signed their works or left biographical traces; early life and training remain not well documented. These creators ope...