Five figures gather around the tomb of Ovid, attempting to read and decipher the epitaph which is Ovid's own from his Tristia. Tristia 3.3.73-76: hic ego qui iaceo tenerorum lusor amorum / ingenio perii Naso poeta meo; / at tibi qui transis ne sit graue quisquis amasti / dicere "Nasonis molliter ossa cubent

(I who lie here, sweet Ovid, poet of tender passions, / fell victim to my own sharp wit. / Passer-by, if you've ever been in love, don't grudge me / The traditional prayer: 'May Ovid's bones lie soft!).