Alabaster cinerary urn

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The reclining woman represented on the lid wears a heavy torque necklace and holds a fan in her right hand. The frieze depicts two pairs of Greeks fighting Amazons, while the Etruscan death demon Vanth stands at the right. The Amazonomachy is well known from Greek art, especially from the fourth century on, and also appears on other Etruscan works in this gallery. The inclusion of the Vanth is a characteristic Etruscan addition to the representation. Vestiges of paint survive in the eyes, shields, and belts.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art