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© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University
Applique with Thetis Carrying the Arms of Achilles
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University
© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University
ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art

Applique with Thetis Carrying the Arms of Achilles

AAT Object Form/FunctionFurniture Ornaments
AAT Object Form/FunctionOrnaments
CultureGreek, Tarentine
PeriodLate Classical
Date4th Century BCE
MediumCeramic
Credit LineCarlos Collection of Ancient Art
Dimensions4 5/8 x 3 1/4 in. (11.7 x 8.2 cm)
Object number1986.009.011
Label TextA nereid wearing a long chiton reclines on the back of a hippocamp, shown moving to the right. She holds a greave in her extended right hand and grips the hippocamp's neck with her left. A ground line below perhaps depicting stylized waves. Traces of gilding and blue pigment.

The nereid can be identified as Thetis, the mother of Achilles, shown transporting new armor to the hero at Troy. Terracotta appliques such as this are characteristic of Tarentine production and would originally have adorned funerary furniture. Mythical creatures are common as symbolic guardians marking the boundary between life and death. In this case, Thetis' journey serves to glorify the deceased and symbolize their transition into the Afterlife.
Exhibition HistoryOdyssey of an Art Collector: Unity in Diversity, 5000 Years of Art, Isaac Delgado Museum of Art, New Orleans, Louisiana, November 11, 1966 - January 8, 1967
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, May 11,1993 - May 2004
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2004 - January 2011
Monsters, Demons & Winged Beasts: Composite Creatures in the Ancient World, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 5 - June 19, 2011
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, June 20, 2011 - September 15, 2014
MCCM Permanent Collection Installation, September 29, 2014 - Present
Published ReferencesOdyssey of an Art Collector: Unity in Diversity, 5000 Years of Art (New Orleans: Isaac Delgado Museum of Art, 1966), 141, number 23.
ProvenanceEx coll. Elizabeth (1928-2018) and Frederick (1905-1992) Stafford, New York and Paris, by 1966. Purchased by Emory University Museum of Art and Archaeology from Safani Gallery, New York, New York.
Status
On view
Collections
  • Greek and Roman Art