Marble lid of a cinerary chest

The lid is fashioned to look like the roof of a barrel-vaulted building with acroteria at the corners in the form of theatrical masks and palmettes. The front panel is inscribed in Latin: “To the spirits of the dead, [of] Sextus Flavius Pancarpus, who lived 67 years.” Despite the fact that the inscription mentions only a man, the lunettes at the sides show both male (globe and box of scrolls) and female (mirror and spindle) attributes, indicating that the chest also may have contained the remains of Pancarpus’ wife.




This work was deaccessioned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art for return to the Italian Republic in 2026. The repatriation was done in collaboration with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, in connection to its investigation into dealer Frieda Tchacos. More information about The Met’s provenance initiatives can be found here.