America III

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America III

Artist Barbara Jones-Hogu (American, 1938 - 2017)

Date1968

DimensionsSheet: 29 1/2 × 25 in. (74.9 × 63.5 cm)
Image: 25 1/2 × 24 1/2 in. (64.8 × 62.2 cm)

Mediumcolor screenprint on brown paper

ClassificationPrints

Credit LineMrs. George W. Stevens Fund

Object number

2022.44

Not on View

Label TextThis funerary monument comes from a cemetery of freedmen and the enslaved of the Volusii family on the Appian Way near Rome. The Latin inscription reads, “To the Spirits of the Departed. Volusia Irene to Mystes, slave of Lucius Volusius Saturninus, and to Dorius her son who lived 15 years and six months.” The enslaved in Rome included people born into slavery, captured through conquest, or even those abandoned at birth. This altar is one of the most elaborately decorated examples of its kind. The altar includes a reference to the founding of Rome by the twins Romulus and Remus, shown as infants suckling the she-wolf who saved them when they were left in the wilderness. The garlands of fruits, flowers, and plants strung from rams’ heads are typical decoration of funerary altars of the 1st century CE. So is the panel supported by an eagle. Remarkably, the back of the monument was largely removed and re-carved in the 18th century with an exact copy of the front, minus the inscription. This was presumably at the request of the purchaser who likely demanded a complete and restored monument. The result is a rare opportunity to compare the carving techniques and characteristics of the Roman Imperial sculptor and the 18th-century artist. How many differences do you notice?