SARCOPHAGUS WITH EROTES AND GARLANDS, C. 200 CE. POLDI PEZZOLI MUSEUM, MILAN The rich Milanese nobleman Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli built up an astonishing collection of art in the C19, including this one-person sarcophagus resting on two C2 Roman trapezophoroi (table supports) with lion paw feet. It's fairly intact though someone has unsexed the three Erotes that are holding up two garlands heavily laden with fruit and drill holes to create lines of punctuated deep shadow in full Severan style. The busy-ness of this box suggests it was carved in Asia Minor, and indeed there's a lot going on. The three heroic Erotes have adolescent musculature and bear the weight of the garlands with effort. In the half-moons above the garlands are four theatrical masks, in sets of two masks facing each other. These masks allude to the great drama of life itself: in death we can finally set aside the masks we wear in life. At bottom centre two little wingless boys bring baskets of fruit to the central Eros, alluding, like the garlands, to abundance in the afterlife. Below the right-hand garland is a bunny nibbling at some fruit.

#SarcophagusSaturday brings us to the house-museum of Gian Giacomo #PoldiPezzoli in #Milan, where we find a marble box with a #relief of #garlands and #Erotes, a bunny, musical instruments, and #theatrical #masks, a dream of peace, plenty, and pleasure in the #afterlife. #AncientBluesky 🏺