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Limestone column capital

late 4th–3rd century BCE
Not on view
Restituted
This artwork was restituted in August 2025. It is no longer in the museum’s collection.
Gift of the Aboutaam Family, 1995 (1995.95, .291)
Purchase, Alexander and Helene Abraham Gift, 1996 (1996.26)

The capitals, carved in crisp and striking detail, are a variant of the early Hellenistic Corinthian capital. The figure of a double-bodied sphinx dominates front and back, and large palmettes ornament the sides. They are typical of the architectural decoration found on Tarantine naiskoi (funerary monuments). On one, the figure of the sphinx is unusually large, leaving little of the original Corinthian acanthus-leaf design visible. All that remains of a third capital is a pair of volutes from one corner, showing the elaborate openwork that accompanied the figural decoration.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Limestone column capital
  • Period: Hellenistic
  • Date: late 4th–3rd century BCE
  • Culture: Greek, South Italian, Tarentine
  • Medium: Limestone
  • Dimensions: 7 1/8 × 13 in., 26 lb. (18.1 × 33 cm, 11.8 kg)
  • Classification: Stone Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Gift of the Aboutaam Family, 1995
  • Object Number: 1995.95
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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Capital fragment from a funerary shrine (naiskos), Limestone, Greek, South Italian, Tarentine
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Corinthian column capital, Limestone, Greek, South Italian, Tarentine
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Corinthian column capital
Greek, South Italian, Tarentine
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Marble column from the Temple of Artemis at Sardis, Marble, Greek
Marble column from the Temple of Artemis at Sardis
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Marble akroterion, Marble, Greek, Attic
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