3-044-401 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Grave Naiskos of Theogenis with her Mother, Nikomache, and her Brother Nikodemos, about 360 BC. Additional Info: Gravestones were frequently carved in the shape of a naiskos, a small building with a triangular pediment supported by pillars. In this example, three figures carved in high relief are identified by a Greek inscription on the narrow, recessed band above their heads. A deceased woman, Theogenis, shakes hands with her seated mother, Nikomache. Her brother, Nikodemos, son of Polyllos, appears between them with a small aryballos (oil container) suspended from his left wrist. Although the relief in its present state commemorates the death of Theogenis, the figures on the relief were re-carved and the inscription changed over time. The sculpture probably served as a funerary monument for a family burial plot and would have been reused as needed.