Rome, ca 400
Ivory
18,7 x 11,5 cm
Inv.-Nr. MA 157
Acquired in 1860 as part of the Martin von Reider Collection, Bamberg
Gallery 1
This Roman ivory relief is an early exemplar of the type of Early Christian art beginning to emerge by the 4th century. Hastening to Christ's tomb on Easter morning, the women’s encounter with the angel would remain the conventional Easter image in Western art until well into the 12th century. The tree with birds seeking sustenance from its fruit designates the Tomb of Christ as a life-giving place. The formal idiom is that of Theodosian classicism.