2nd cent AD gravestone - looking for help

[Martin Moser]

Somehow there's a little voice in me that says "It's a Renaissance work of art"... The entire composition feels more like those bystanders who are watching the Crucifixion, or the Holy Family arriving in Betlehem, or some other scene typical of Late Medieval or Early Renaissance triptych or fresco. The bag and hat make the guy look as if he has just left a painting by Breughel.

Hm, an intersting thought and you might have a point there, although medieval reliefs/statues normally are not that lifelike in terms of proportions and all. I would grant you Renaissance though ;-) )

What if the statue had an explanatory note saying that it was made "nel duecento"? That means 'in the thirteenth century'; and it can easily lead to a mistranslation "in the second century".

Then it would be complete fake I'd say - AFAIK 13th century statues are a long way from anything as lifelike (as I said above). It would have to be 2+ centuries later then I'd guess.

OTOH, the (cloth?) bag does have a parallel, one of the woman servants in a scene in the Piazza Armerina mosaics carries a similar bag. I was hoping for additional detail from this relief.

Makes me ever more curious about this thing ... :-P P