Greek Cross Hall: Sarcophagus of Constantina, 340 AD

Greek Cross Hall: Sarcophagus of Constantina, 340 AD Travel photography Family-friendly: true
The Sarcophagus of Constantina is a porphyry work that once housed the body of Constantina, daughter of Constantine the Great (died 354), which was once in her mausoleum on Via Nomentana, which became the church of Santa Costanza in 1254, and later to this museum. The decoration is a semi-pagan depictions of cupids in Dionysiac harvesting of grapes to make wine; it has been interpreted as an early Christian reference to the eucharist.
Sarcophagus of Costantia, cat. 237.
This monumental sarcophagus in red porphyry was made to hold the remains of one of the daughters of the Emperor Constantine the Great, most probably Constantia who died in 354 A.D. and was buried in a mausoleum on the via Nomentana, alongside the basilica of St Agnes. Between 1467 and 1471 the sarcophagus was removed to Piazza San Marco in Rome and later, in 1790, it was taken into the Vatican Museums on a cart dragged by 40 oxen. It rests on four lionesses supports which were carved by Francesco Antonio Franzoni. The coffin is decorated on all four sides with garlands and grape vines, large acanthus scrolls and cupids treading grapes. Below there are two peacocks, a ram and a cupid with a garland. The lid is decorated with festoons of greenery tied to masks. The Dionysian decoration of the grape harvest also appears in the exquisitely refined mosaic decoration of the vault of the mausoleum of Constantia.