Casgliadau Arlein

The panel is framed by a deeply cut groove and a plain border. Within this is a slightly incised dolphin with a chubby Cupid riding on its back. The dolphin is shown in a typical stylized form, having a bulbous head with a long slender nose, a faintly incised eye, and a small lateral fin. The groups of short incised lines surrounding the sea-mammal probably represent a small waves and the turbulence caused by its movement throught the water. The dolphin, a popular subject, had several symbolic associations. Besides being a common funerary motif, it was also seen as a symbol of prosperity and good fortune, in which capacity dolphins were frequently depicted among the wall paintings at Pompeii, either by themselves or ridden or driven by Cupids, as well as on Mosaics throughout the Empire, and also on an antefixa. The swiftness of the creature also made it very popular among sportsmen, and in this context a representation would quite often adorn the spina of a circus for example. The symbolic significance, if any, of the dolphin on this slab is unclear, but to judge from the light style of carving it is unlikely to have been funerary. Mortar has been applied to all the edges and the back, and a few patches also remain on the face, indicating that it had been structurally reused, probably in the Castle Baths.