The
Sarcophagus of Marcus Claudianus
Detail: The Miracle at Cana
The figure on the left is Christ. At his feet are three of the
stone jars in the story; in the sarcophagi I have studied it is usual
to show three rather than all six. Christ's left hand rests on
the head of one of the
servants whom he told to fill the jars with water. In his right
hand is a wand or rod symbolizing his authority.
The "orant" on the
right with the veil and outstretched hands could possibly be Mary,
the one whose request led to the Cana miracle, but being at the center
of the composition (and the only figure in the lower register wearing
shoes -- see detail) it is
possible she could represent Ecclesia, the Church, praying
for the decedent.
Compare the orant in another
Christian sarcophagus of the period, who also stands in the exact
center wearing shoes and flanked by St. Peter and a beardless apostle
(St. John?).
More of the miracle at Cana
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Photographed at the
site by Richard Stracke