31 - Front panel of a white marble sarcophagus carved in high relief, depicting two figures beneath an arcade.

Front panel of a white marble sarcophagus carved in high relief, depicting two figures beneath an arcade. Roman Empire, Italy or Southern Gaul, mid-4th century H.: 27.5 cm - W.: 29 cm (Fragment, with damage and missing parts) The architectural decoration on this fragment links it to the family of sarcophagi known as “arcade sarcophagi,” which became increasingly common in the western regions of the Roman Empire beginning in the mid-4th century. The overall composition likely depicted Christ teaching, in the center, surrounded by the Apostles. Both the iconography and the style are reminiscent of several examples preserved at the Musée départemental Arles antique, such as the famous sarcophagus of Hydria Tertulla and Axia Æliana (PM13000386), as well as a sarcophagus façade reused in a chapel in the north aisle of the Saint-Trophime Primatial Church in Arles.