page_title: Sarcophagus of the Spouses
section_title: Other
hierarchical_section_title: Sarcophagus of the Spouses / Other
context_page_description: The Sarcophagus of the Spouses is considered one of the great masterpieces of Etruscan art. It is a late sixth-century BC Etruscan anthropoid sarcophagus from Caere, and is in the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, Rome. It is 1.14 m high by 1.9 m wide, and is made of terracotta which was once brightly painted. It depicts a married couple reclining at a banquet together in the afterlife, and was found in 19th-century excavations at the necropolis of Cerveteri. The portrayal of a married couple sharing a banqueting couch is distinctly an Etruscan style; in contrast, Greek vases depicting banquet scenes reflect the custom that only men attended dinner parties.
context_section_description: A similar sarcophagus, also from Cerveteri and often called the Sarcophagus of the Spouses, is in the Louvre in Paris (Cp 5194).  Other Etruscan sarcophagus covers show couples, but these are the best known.
  Etruscan culture practiced cremation, so the tomb housed ashes rather than body remains.  Unlike in the Greek world, where banquets were reserved for men, the Etruscan woman, who held an important place in society, is represented here at her husband's side, in the same proportions and in a similar pose. They are both smiling and expressing affection, which contrasts Greek art. Because this is a funerary piece, it could mean a positive attitude towards life and death. She is in the process of pouring perfume into his hand, she is making the gesture of offering perfume, another essential component of funerary ritual. In her left hand, she is holding a small, round object, possibly a pomegranate, a symbol of immortality.
caption: Detail of the Louvre Sarcophagus of the Spouses
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