The Pulvinars Have Rosettes on the Front

p. 31 of unnamed book

CHAPTER II

TYPOLOGY AND CHRONOLOGY

Roman funerary altars with portraits range in size from miniature examplesof. ca. 0.30m in height to altars that are almost 2m. tall. The largest extant altar, that of Sex. Pedius Hirrutus (55) is 1.98 m. tall and at least 30 other examples are well over 1 m. in height. Despite the pronounced disparity in size among the altars - due unquestionably to economic factors and the intended setting of the pieces rather than to aesthetic factors - only a limited number of types were produced and almost every type is documented in a variety of sizes.

The Roman funerary altars with portraits are, without exception, rectangular in shape and taller than they are wide. The lower parts are generally similar in form and proportion and the major distinctions in shape are the result of differing treatments of the upper part of the altar. Whether the altar was a single block of stone or had a detachable lid does not appear to have been a major determining factor in the shape of the monument.

The surviving altars can be divided into two broad types - those with flat tops and those with architectural crowning elements, either a double scroll or a segmental or triangular pediment buttressed either by pulvinars or acroteria. The pulvinars have rosettes on the front; the acroteria are left plain or are in the form of half-palmettes, eagles, dolphins or theatrical masks. Portraits are often contained in the segmental or triangular pediments and the main body of the altar is usually dedicated to a framed epitaph. If, instead of a portrait, the pediment contains an object, such as a wreath, the portrait appears on the main body of the altar, where the frame is filled with a full- or bust-length likeness or a scene in which the deceased is portrayed. On occasion, the portraits or scenes on the main body of the altar are framed by plain or spiral columns, by pilasters that are fluted or decorated with acanthus scrolls, or by military standards. The front of the altar is often divided in this second type. Portraits or a scene in a rectangular or a circular frame commonly appear above and an epitaph is

footnote:
I) The Altar of Ulpia Oenanthe (69) is o.295 m. in height. The next smallest is that of M. Sentius Felicissimus (31) which is o.31 m. These are, however, exceptional. Only ca. six of the extant altars with portraits are under 0.60 m.