A Hellenistic Funerary Stele in High Relief with Two Male Heads

A Hellenistic Funerary Stele in High Relief with Two Male Heads
Marble
Greek Hellenistic
Circa 2nd Century BC

Size: 20.5cm high, 38cm wide, 11cm deep - 8 ins high, 15 ins wide, 4¼ ins deep / 25.5cm high - 10 ins high (with base)

Provenance:
Ex Private collection, Paris, France, acquired early 20th Century
Originally encased in an Art Deco plaster display mount with a grey polished surface
Ex UK collection

The fragment is probably from the upper part of a sizeable marble funerary ‘stele’. Decorated in high relief with two male heads. The head shown to the right depicts a youth gazing slightly outwards, while the head to the left depicts a man gazing upwards towards the youth. We can look at the scene as one of mourning, with the older man showing his respect and grieving the younger youth.