Epigraph of Gelasinus1st – 2nd century AD; alt. cm 25,5; A marble slab with a latin inscription in

Epigraph of Gelasinus1st – 2nd century AD; alt. cm 25,5; A marble slab with a latin inscription in five lines: D(iis) M(anibus) / Glycera / Gelasino / amico bene / me(renti) fecit. Part of a sepulchral epitaph, it is characterized by the typical formula of an opening with a dedication to the Manes, commissioned by Glycera for her deceased friend Gelasinus.The presence of the female name of greek origin, Glycera, is interesting because it appears in Horace’s ode to Venus (Od. 1, 30): the latin poet invites the goddess to leave Cyprus and go to the house of Glycera, an Athenian courtesan and one of his lovers. Her name evokes feminine softness.PROVENANCE:Private collection, London; acquired on the European art market in the 1980s.