Events
6 February 2025 Start
6 February 2025 End
6:30 PM Time
USA The Institute of Fine Arts, 1 East 78th Street, New York, NY 10075 and on Zoom

e-mail.: [email protected]

A large Sarcophagus, magnificently carved

Thursday, February 6, 2025

In the framework of the Ancient Seminar Program organised by the Instituite of Fine Arts,
Dr. Sarah Lepinski will address the topic “‘A large Sarcophagus, magnificently carved.’ Chronicling the Ancient and Modern Histories of a Third-century CE Strigilated Sarcophagus”.

In-Person and Virtual Lecture*
Advance registration is required

In 2021, The Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired a large Roman marble sarcophagus as a gift from Dr. and Mrs. Eugene Krauss (MMA 2021.264.2). The sarcophagus belongs to a distinctive type of funerary monument (a large-scale coffin) fashioned in Rome, and its vicinity, in the second half of the 3rd century CE. Carved in the shape of a tub, or lenos, it features rich decoration. On the front panel, s-shaped flutes, called strigils, frame a central medallion with a Victory writing on a shield and on each end, a harnessed lion fells its prey.

Since the turn of the last century, the sarcophagus sat majestically in the gardens of Roslyn House, the Gilded Age estate of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Yates Mortimer Sr. in Old Westbury, Long Island, NY. The sarcophagus was one of many ancient, medieval, and Renaissance sculptures that adorned the house and its extensive estate, and it remained in situ with subsequent owners, including the Krauss family, until 2021.

The lecture presents ongoing research into the complex material, social, and collecting histories of the sarcophagus. This research will ultimately inform the restoration and presentation of the sarcophagus in The Met’s galleries for the Greek and Roman Art.

Dr. Sarah Lepinski is Curator in the Department of Greek and Roman Art at the Metropolitan Museum of art. An experienced archaeologist, she has conducted research projects and excavations in Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, and Israel and has held fellowships at the American Academy in Rome, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. In addition to roles in research institutions and museums, her professional experience includes teaching in universities and overseeing federal grant programs for cultural heritage at the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Her scholarship and publications primarily encompass Hellenistic and Roman decorative media and ancient polychromy. She co-curated Chroma: Ancient Sculpture in Color (2022) and is the project manager for the renovation and reinstallation of the galleries for the art of ancient Cyprus at The Met.

*The program will be presented onsite at the James B. Duke House and live-streamed. Please note we have transitioned from Zoom to a new, web-based live-streaming platform for our events. You can now access our public programs directly through your browser. Kindly RSVP below to receive the live stream link.

Join in person

Join virtually