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Celi Lebron Prof. William Behnken ART 1000 November 29, 2009 Sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysus and the Seasons A sarcophagus is a container or coffin that is used to bury dead human bodies. The most commonly used materials in the production of sarcophagi are marble (the finest and most expensive), stone, lead and wood. During the second century A.D, Roman funerary practices or traditions changed from the cremation of the bodies to the burial of the bodies.1 Originally, the Etruscans and the Greeks were the cultures that practiced the inhumation of burials. However, the change in Roman culture turned the production of sarcophagi to a luxury industry that was dominated by the regions of Metropolitan Rome, Attic and Asiatic. In the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) is found a well conserved and adorned threedimensional sarcophagus called: Sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysus and the Seasons. It was carved during the late imperial period, between the years 260 AD and 270 AD. The sarcophagus was found in Rome, and its first owner was the Cardinal Giulio Alberoni (16641752).2 In 1727, the Duke of Beaufort purchased the sarcophagus from Alberoni and installed it in the Badminton house in England. As a consequence, the sarcophagus adopted the name of the Badminton Sarcophagus. Finally in 1955, the MET purchased the sarcophagus from the Duke of Beaufort and installed it in its exhibitions of Greek and Roman Art, where it continues resting until today.

1. Heather T. Awan, "Roman Sarcophagi". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000) 2. Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons sarcophagus [Roman] (55.11.5)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000)

People could think that the Badminton Sarcophagus was made in the Eastern Mediterranean, because the material used for its carving is a type of marble found in Asia Minor, Phrygia. However, the reality is that this sculpture was