Mausolée familial pour les Valerii Rufi

This mausoleum made of fine limestone was found, broken into many fragments, in a pit discovered in the Rue du Donon in the Roman suburb of Koenigshoffen. It preserves the memory of three members of the Valerii Rufi family, who lived in Argentorate in the first half of the 1st century AD, as the monumental inscription engraved on the base of the monument states. The three deceased, whose almost life-size statues could be reconstructed, are represented standing in a frontal position, in a high niche bordered by pilasters and framed by sculpted panels. Their costume provides an immediate indication of their social status: two of them are indeed wearing military equipment, the third is dressed in the toga of the Roman citizen, as a veteran having completed his time in the army. The military equipment is stereotyped, but of great documentary accuracy. The side of the monument is carved with a figure of a dancer holding a veil over her head. This female figure can be identified with a maenad of the Dionysian procession, a theme that was quite common in the Rhineland in the decoration of funerary monuments of the first century. It still retains many traces of red and yellow color. Originally, the sculptures of this monument were painted in bright colors and the funerary inscription was probably highlighted in red. This type of mausoleum originates from models from northern Italy. The construction of these large funerary mausoleums represents an expensive expense; only the richest people could afford such a monument. Among them, the most senior legionnaires, whose pay was important, constituted a clientele of choice for the sculptors.

A face for eternity

This mausoleum features three deceased members of the same family in an architectural niche. Only one face remains, that of the central deceased, dressed in the toga of the Roman citizen. Highly prized by the Roman bourgeoisie, these monuments show family groups eager to show future generations the place they occupied in society during their lifetime. The deceased are thus usually dressed in costumes reflecting their function, while their faces appear stereotyped.