Image Details

A pair of winged victories hold a medallion with a menorah on one side of sarcophagus. To the right is a winged Erote, a naked angel, representing Autumn. In one hand he holds a basket of fruit, symbol of the harvest, and in the other a pair of geese. Next to Autumn are traces of the wing, leg, and raised hand of Winter and the wild boar he killed in the hunt.

Supporting the menorah on their heads are three putti who tread grapes in a vat with two lion head spouts. The two putti on the end wave wands. To the right of this group are two other putti: one (to the right of the winged victory) rides a hare, and the other (to the right of Autumn) rides a dog.

This sarcophagus combines pagan and Jewish symbols. The sculptor of this quite common design would often leave the medallion blank until a particular client commissioned either a portrait, a Medusa head, or some other symbol. A menorah was an unusual subject to commission for this basically pagan carving.