A Greek marble funerary stele

A Greek marble funerary stele
Circa late 4th Century B.C.
Surmounted by a pediment with acroteria, the recessed central panel sculpted in shallow relief with three figures accompanied by a dog, on the left a woman seated on a throne with her feet resting on a stool, wearing the himation draped over her head, holding the hand of a male figure standing in front of her, a child standing next to the man, with his right hand raised to his chin, a dog standing in front, a Greek inscription above the panel reading: 'Themisto, daughter of Menoitas; Epimenes, son of Hippostratos, Hippostratos, son of Hippostratos', 113cm high

Provenance:
Private collection, Europe.
Anonymous sale; Tajan, Paris, 23 April 2007, lot 204.
Anonymous sale; Pierre Bergé, Paris, 17 June 2010, lot 292.

The gesture of shaking or holding hands was commonly employed on Greek stelai in order to emphasize family unity, even after death. Dogs often accompany young children in funerary scenes, the most common breed being the canis melitaeus, a short, curly-haired dog mentioned in ancient sources (see J. Burnett Grossman, Greek Funerary Sculpture. Catalogue of the Collections at the Getty Villa, Los Angeles, 2001, p. 18).