Front relief from a sarcophagus

This carved frieze belonged to a sarcophagus bowl. In the centre, Christ, standing, imposes his hands on two baskets of bread presented to him by two disciples. Three other characters, in the background, complete this first group that illustrates a scene in the life of Christ: the multiplication of the loaves. Christ is represented a second time, in profile, touching the eyes of a young blind man that miraculously heals his blindness. In the background, a witness points to Jesus in his left hand and raises his right, as if to accompany his surprise or his words. Turned to the blind, another witness holds a scroll (scroll) and shows a fourth character who makes spring a spring with his wand. The theme is, originally, that of Moses striking the rock of Horeb to quench the thirsty people of Israel. Left is a woman in the attitude of prayer, the palms of her hands turned upward. It is designated by a character who stands to his right. To his left is another man, carrying a volume, who also seems to present the praying girl by placing his arm on his shoulders (?). Finally, in the end, sitting on an armchair, legs crossed, a man puts his left hand on a book and stretches his right arm forward. This is Pierre. Behind him, an individual raises both hands upward. The last character holds a volume and seems to accompany with his right hand the gesture of his neighbour. It is necessary to associate the enthroned personage and the orange. To the latter, an allegory of the soul of the deceased liberated from the body, are destined for that solemn teaching and this supreme knowledge dispensed by Peter or God himself. The reading of the iconography of this sarcophagus in three parts takes a certain coherence: baptism (presence of the source), Eucharist (Multiplication of the loaves), bliss (praying) of the soul delivered by death and introduced to God.

这件雕刻饰带原本属于一具石棺的棺身。画面中央，站立的基督将双手覆于两名门徒呈献给祂的两篮面包之上。背景中另有三人，共同组成这一描绘基督生平场景的第一组形象——即饼的增多神迹。画面第二次出现基督的侧面形象，祂正触碰一名年轻盲人的双眼，以神迹使其重获光明。背景中，一名目击者以左手指向耶稣，右手上扬，仿佛在表达自身的惊诧或附和祂的话语。另一名面向盲人的目击者手持卷轴（scroll），指向第四位以权杖引出泉水的人物。该主题最初源自摩西击打何烈山的磐石、为口渴的以色列子民取水的典故。画面左侧是一名双手掌心朝上、呈祈祷姿态的妇人，其右侧有一名人物指向她。妇人左侧另有一名手持书卷的男子，他似乎以手臂搭在这名祈祷女子的肩上（？），仿佛在向旁人引荐她。最后，一名男子坐在扶手椅上，双腿交叉，左手按在一本书上，右前臂向前伸出——此人便是使徒彼得。彼得身后，一名个体双手向上举起。最后一名角色手持书卷，似乎以右手配合身旁之人的动作。此处需将端坐的形象与橙子关联起来：后者作为逝者灵魂脱离肉身的寓言，象征着由彼得或天主亲自传授的庄严教义与至高知识。对这件石棺三部分图像学的解读具备内在一致性：分别对应洗礼（源头的意象）、圣体圣事（Eucharist，饼的增多神迹），以及灵魂脱离死亡、被接引至天主面前所享的极乐（祈祷的灵魂）。