Ludovisi sarcophagus with dextrarum iunctio

Photogallery

Ludovisi sarcophagus with dextrarum iunctio
Ludovisi sarcophagus with dextrarum iunctio
"Strigilated" sarcophagi

This large sarcophagus (c. 320) would appear to be a curious mix of types and themes, combining strigilated panels with the monumentality of a double-registered front. The central field, without specifically Christian images, is almost completely occupied by a wedding scene, in which the deceased couple, surrounded by the embrace of an allegory of marital harmony, link hands in the presence of Eros (lost) and Psyche. In the frame below, two cupids are engaged in cock-fighting; they symbolise fate in the two aspects of victory (the cupid with the palm and the crown) and defeat (the cupid who covers his face). The side panel instead contains biblical scenes: at the top left there is the episode of Ezekiel and the bones that come back to life, and below there is Christ healing the blind man, whereas at the top right there is the resurrection of Lazarus and below, the apocryphal scene of Peter baptising his gaolers.