Roman Panther Head from a Marble Sarcophagus(?)

Imperial (Roman)
2nd - 3rd century CE

4 3/4 in. x 3 5/16 in. (12 cm x 8.4 cm)

This object has the following keywords:

• Dionysos
• marble - A metamorphic, hard, dense, crystalline stone primarily composed of calcium carbonate; it is limestone or dolomite that has been metamorphosed with heat and pressure. Pure calcite marble is white, but impurities produce a wide variety of coloring and patterns. It is finely grained and polishes to a smooth, high gloss. It is used primarily for statuary and buildings. Marble has been quarried from sites around the world since at least the 7th century BCE. The term can also refer more broadly to any crystallized carbonate rock, including true marble and certain types of limestone, that will take a polish and can be used for architectural and ornamental purposes.
• Panthera - Genus of four Asian, African, and South and Central American species, including the jaguar, lion, leopard, and tiger.
• Roman - Refers broadly to the period, styles, and culture of the state centered on the city of Rome from the period from the founding of the city ca. 700 BCE through the events leading to the founding of the republic in 509 BCE, the establishment of the empire in 27 BCE, and the final eclipse of the Empire of the West in the 5th century CE. Ancient Rome became a powerful force and supplanted Greek and Etruscan influence on the Apennine peninsula. Its rule and influence gradually encompassed a wide area in Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East, and Asia Minor. Its influence was wide in scope, including sculpture, painting, architecture, engineering, language, the road system, law, and many other areas of culture. Roman art and architecture is characterized by early derivations from Greek art and architecture, but it gradually developed into a style of its own, absorbing characteristics of styles from the far flung regions under its control.
• sarcophagi - Coffins made of stone or terracotta, generally ornamented with sculpture or carving and of a size large enough to contain the entire body. Antique examples were often extensively decorated with relief sculpture, which were highly influential on Renaissance artists. Many sarcophagi were also produced in the Baroque and Neoclassical eras. Pliny explains that the derivation of the word ("flesh eating" in Greek) refers specifically to coffins of limestone from the Troad (the region around Troy), which was believed to cause rapid dissolving of the body; more probably, the term refers to various religious and folkloristic ideas that resulted in calling any coffin a body eater. The word came into general use as the name for any large stone coffin in imperial Rome, and is now generally used to refer to large, ornate stone coffins from any period or place.