A Greek marble funerary stele

A Greek marble funerary stele, In the form of a naiskos, the pediment with central roundel and acroteria at the corners, with a scene carved in high relief within a rectangular recess, flanked by columns, depicting a boat on a wavy sea with four occupants, the central standing draped male figure assisting a seated male with a rudder (?), another male wearing a short tunic and standing at the prow holding the mast and unfurling the sail, the fourth male seated and holding a long oar at the stern of the boat, with five lines of a poem in Greek text inscribed below, reading: ‘Many forms of death and ends of life are ordained for unhappy mortals. I was Hermes, the son of Hermes and the worthy Isidora; nurtured and brought up in this island until the age of twenty, when I die and swiftly leave the sweet light’, 62.5cm high, 45.2cm wide, 8cm depth.

Provenance:Private collection, UK, acquired in the 1970s.Anonymous sale; Bonhams, London, 23 October 2013, lot 228.Private collection, UK, acquired from the above sale.