Vatican City, Italy (Enclave of Rome): Vatican Museums: Pio Clementino Museum: Constantina Sarcophagus
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Authors
Sheppard, Beth M.
Issue Date
20-May-19
Type
Image
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Keywords
Italy , Vatican City , Rome , Vatican Museums , Musei Vaticani , Pio Clementino Museum , Museo Pio Clementino , Musei di Scultura , Sculpture Museums , Art Museums , Sacred Art , Church Art , Greek Antiquities , Roman Antiquities , Porphyry , Sarcophagi , Constantina Sarcophagus , Costanza Sarcophagus , Cupids in Art , Grapes in Art , Eucharist in Art
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Abstract
Multiple photos are associated with this record. Please click the links to view all of the items in the series. The photos are of the signage and sarcophagus for Constantina within the Pio Clementino Museum, which is part of the Vatican Museums. These are public museums that display about 20,000 of 70K works collected by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries. The museums were founded by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century. Only the Louvre in France receives more annual visitors than the Vatican Museums. The museums consist of 24 galleries, with the Sistine Chapel being the last room visited. The Pio Clementino Museum is the largest complex of the Vatican Museums. It is named after its founders, Pope Clement XIV and Pope Pius VI. Its twelve rooms contain the most important Greek and Roman masterpieces. The Constantina Sarcophagus is made of solid porphyry, a rare igneous rock of Egyptian origin used only in the finest Byzantine imperial monuments. Constantina (Costanza) was the daughter of the emperor Constantine the Great (died 354). The sarcophagus is decorated with cupids harvesting grapes to make wine. This semi pagan depiction has been interpreted as an early Christian reference to the eucharist.
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CC BY-NC-SA 4.0