Sarcophagus with Lion Hunt

The front of the large sarcophagus shows an eventful scene depicting the (future) occupant of the grave on horseback amidst his companions and servants during a wild animal hunt. Brandishing a spear in his right hand, he draws back his arm, ready to thrust the weapon into the jaws of the lion that is leaping towardshim. On the left, next to the host of the hunting-party, is Virtus, clad in a highbelted garment and a helmet. She personifies the bravery and virtue of the deceased. At the left edge a rider fights a bear being attacked by a hunting-dog, while another rider and a hunter on foot fight the lion on the right. The beast of preyis leaping at the helper sitting on the ground with his sword drawn. In classical antiquity the lion hunt was a privilege of princes and kings, who were entitled to fight these dangerous predators. Thus this subject was used to emphasise the high social status of the deceased. The pictorial repertoire comes from illustrations of animal fights and lion hunts in the Roman Circus as found in small works of art from the 1st century BC onwards. The lion is generally regarded as a grave-keeper averting disaster and as a symbol of victory. On the short sides of the sarcophagus, the two mighty wild cats killing antelopes can be interpreted in this sense. The faces of the host of the hunting-party and Virtus, who is standing next to him, are only blurred outlines and have not been worked out in detail. Only as a final step did the client ask the workshop to provide the facial features of the (future) grave occupants. While the deceased appears as the central figure in this hunting scene, his wife seems to be depicted as a divine creature. This was rare but not impossible in the sepulchral tradition. Why the faces on this sarcophagus were not completed remains uncertain. © Kurt Gschwantler, Alfred Bernhard-Walcher, Manuela Laubenberger, Georg Plattner, Karoline Zhuber-Okrog, Masterpieces in the Collection of Greek and Roman Antiquities. A Brief Guide to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna 2011