Folia archeologica 45.

Beszédes József: Dioscuros ábrázolású sarokkő Alsóhetényből

160 MIHÁL.Y NAGY Fig. 2. The Lovas casket after its restoration in 1992 2. ábra A lovasi ládika az 1992. évi restaurálás után The dating of manufacture As we have already mentioned, according to Radnóti, the closest parallels to the represnetations on the Lovas casket were found in Dunapentele (Fig. 3). He dated the casket to the reign of Emperor Julian. Dorottya Gáspár allows an earlier dating (end of the 3rd century A.D.),

2

2 which seems to be too early, if we compare the motifs on this casket with similar ones represented on other related pieces. The Muse Thalia is portrayed on the casket from Felcsút, found together with the coins of Valentinian I;

2

3 her posture and the corner of her liimation hanging down from her left hand, holding a mask, is practically identical with that of the second standing figure on the Lovas casket. Representations, like the vertical folds on the chlamys of a dancing young man on the upper right corner of this casket, have served as prototypes for the craftsman, who carved the moulds for the mounts of the Lovas casket, when he — misinterpreting the original one -, turned it into 2

2 Gáspár 1986, 74, paragraph 97. 2

3 Gáspár 1986, 202-203, cat. no. 733, Pis. X-XI.