Relief of a Roman sarcophagus, 4th century A.D.

Roman sarcophagus relief, 4th century AD.
"Erote".
In marble.
Measurements: 34 x 21 x 5 cm.

Fragment of sarcophagus in marble belonging to a strigilated model, a very widespread typology in the Lower Roman Empire for its formal balance and sober symbolism. The piece is an interesting testimony of the artistic transition of the fourth century AD.

The scene features a winged erote in a melancholic attitude, with his body gently inclined, evoking the conception of death as an eternal sleep. He supports an inverted torch, a classical funerary motif symbolizing the extinct life.

At its side are the characteristic "S" grooves of the strigilated repertoire, which introduce a decorative rhythm and symbolically allude to the passage of time and purification.

The modeling, softer and more synthetic, responds to the late Roman aesthetic, at a time when classical traditions coexist with a growing formal abstraction. The piece retains losses on the edges, typical of its archaeological character, which reinforce its authenticity.