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The Collection Greek & Roman Antiquities

Grave Altar of Lucius Caltilius Diadumenus
Roman, about 140 A.D.
Marble
Tampa Museum of Art. Museum Purchase with funds provide by the Collector’s Fund 1991.1

Grave Altar of Lucius Caltilius Diadumenus
Roman, about 140 A.D.MarbleTampa Museum of Art. Museum Purchase with funds provide by the Collector’s Fund 1991.1

Monuments such as this marked cremation burials in Roman Italy. The jug and dish on the sides symbolize the libations of wine poured in funerary rituals. On the rounded pediment, flanked by masks, is a Latin inscription: “To the holy spirits of the dead, for Lucius Caltilius Diadumenus. He lived 35 years. Lucius Caltilius Euhodus Senior made it for his best freedman.” The inscription on the base reads simply, “Here lies L. Caltilius Diadumenus.” The deceased was a freed slave who took his master’s family name (Caltilius). Freedmen often continued to work for their masters, and it was his former owner, Euhodus, who had this monument erected for the faithful Diadumenus. On the front is a sensitive portrait of the deceased, who looks out with a serious and introspective air. The beard and coiffure as well as the carving of the eyes suggest a date early in the Antonine period. A number of grave altars of the Caltilius family have been found in the cemetery at Ostia, the port city of ancient Rome.

Greek Black-Figure Amphora, 510 B.C.
Ceramic
Tampa Museum of Art. Museum purchase with funds provided by Friends of the Arts and Pavilion XV 2000.43

Greek Black-Figure Amphora, 510 B.C.
CeramicTampa Museum of Art. Museum purchase with funds provided by Friends of the Arts and Pavilion XV 2000.43

Cinerarium (Cinerary Urn)
Etruscan, about 150-100 B.C.
Ceramic
Tampa Museum of Art. Gift of Janette Moody and Robert Moody 1986.285

Cinerarium (Cinerary Urn)
Etruscan, about 150-100 B.C.CeramicTampa Museum of Art. Gift of Janette Moody and Robert Moody 1986.285

The ageless beauty of an Etruscan woman adorns the lid of this cinerary urn, probably made in Chiusi (Etruscan CLEVSIN) when the Etruscan civilization was giving way to the rise of Rome. The inscription was added in red paint along the top of the urn, and provides the name of the woman whose cremated remains were originally held within it. Below the inscription is a battle-scene. Cinerary urns such as this one would commonly be placed in a family tomb.

Red-figure Krater
Attributed to the Arpi Painter
Greek, Apulian, 310-300 B.C.
Ceramic
Tampa Museum of Art. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. C.W. Sahlman 1987.36

Red-figure Krater
Attributed to the Arpi PainterGreek, Apulian, 310-300 B.C.CeramicTampa Museum of Art. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. C.W. Sahlman 1987.36

This large krater is an excellent example of the Greeks’ gift for using attributes to create a visual narrative. The dramatic death of Semele, one of the loves of Zeus, is depicted in the upper register of Side A. Zeus, disguised as a mortal, had fallen in love with Semele, the daughter of King Cadmus of Thebes, and she became pregnant with their child, Dionysus. The bolt of lightning on the top center of the second register symbolizes Zeus, and the character to the left of center on the bottom register wearing winged shoes and carrying a caduceus wand is Hermes, the messenger of the gods. The child at the center of the bottom register is surrounded with bunches of grapes and floral motifs, attributes associated with the god Dionysos. The costumed character to the far right of the scene is dressed as a wooly satyr, offering another clue about the story portrayed on the vase. Combined, these symbols describe a stage production of the myth about the birth of Dionysos, the god of wine and celebration. On the other side of the krater, mourners are shown at the shrine of an Oscan warrior. A reclining Dionysos and his consort Ariadne are depicted on the neck. If the narrative scenes on both sides of the krater are considered together, then this vase was perhaps a funeral offering to someone who loved to attend the theater and had a particular liking for the play depicted on the front side of the vase.

Black-figure Column Krater
Greek, Attic, about 510 B.C.
Ceramic
Tampa Museum of Art. Purchased with funds from the Friends of the Arts (FOTA) 1981.5

Black-figure Column Krater
Greek, Attic, about 510 B.C.CeramicTampa Museum of Art. Purchased with funds from the Friends of the Arts (FOTA) 1981.5

In antiquity, water and wine were mixed together in a krater before the libation was placed in pitchers and then served into wine-cups. Unlike its modern counterpart, wine in antiquity was probably sweeter and higher in alcoholic content, which would account for the Greek custom of diluting it with water. Wine in antiquity was also sometimes flavored with spices and aromatic herbs, which may be an additional reason the Greeks mixed it with water. The ancient name for this pottery type, krater, is derived from the ancient Greek word, krateien, meaning “to mix.” The broad handle plates would have made the krater easier to move after being filled with liquid and the high neck of the vessel would have helped to prevent spilling.

Torso of Aphrodite
Roman, 1st century A.D.
Marble
Tampa Museum of Art. Joseph Veach Noble Collection. Purchased in part with fund donated by W.R.B Enterprises, Inc., Judy and Bob Blanchard, and Jeanne and Jack Winter 1986.134

Torso of Aphrodite
Roman, 1st century A.D.MarbleTampa Museum of Art. Joseph Veach Noble Collection. Purchased in part with fund donated by W.R.B Enterprises, Inc., Judy and Bob Blanchard, and Jeanne and Jack Winter 1986.134

Aphrodite, the goddess of love, held a prominent position in Greek mythology with sanctuaries and temples dedicated to her throughout the Greek world. The influence of Aphrodite continued into the Roman period when she was assimilated into the Roman pantheon and came to be known by her Latin name, Venus. This sculpture of Aphrodite would have been originally placed in a niche, forming part of the sculptural program of a private Roman villa, or functioning as a decorative sculpture in a public architectural edifice, such as a theater or bath. The diaphanous, clinging drapery hearkens back to innovations in the development of realistic representations of drapery that began in the fifth century BC and reached a peak of refinement during the third and second centuries B.C.

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