Marble sarcophagus with garlands and the myth of Theseus and Ariadne

Marble sarcophagus with garlands and the myth of Theseus and Ariadne

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

On the lid, shown in delicate low relief, winged erotes drive chariots drawn by animals associated with the four seasons: bears with spring, lions with summer, bulls with fall, and boars with winter. On the front, four erotes bear seasonal garlands composed of flowers, wheat, grapes, pomegranates, and laurel. Between the swags are three episodes from the myth of the Greek hero Theseus. With the help of the Cretan princess Ariadne, Theseus slew the Minotaur, a part-bull and part-human monster who was caged in a labyrinth, where he consumed Athenian boys and girls sent as annual tribute. Depicted from left to right are: Ariadne giving a thread to Theseus at the entrance to the labyrinth, Theseus slaying the Minotaur, and the sleeping Ariadne abandoned on the island of Naxos, where she will be awakened by the god Dionysos to become his immortal bride.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Marble sarcophagus with garlands and the myth of Theseus and AriadneMarble sarcophagus with garlands and the myth of Theseus and AriadneMarble sarcophagus with garlands and the myth of Theseus and AriadneMarble sarcophagus with garlands and the myth of Theseus and AriadneMarble sarcophagus with garlands and the myth of Theseus and Ariadne

The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.