Vertault relief

The 39 cm high limestone relief shows three female figures sitting on a ledge, uniformly dressed and bedecked: they wear long robes and closed shoes.

The attributes of the women could be understood as pertaining to the washing and clothing of the child, as argued by Paul-Marie Duval, who claims that these Matres "in fact perform maternal functions" and "the first holds a child... on her knee, the second spreads a nappy, and the third holds a bowl and a sponge.

"[1] The group is interpreted similarly in a work which suggests the representations of this type found in France and Britain with the cult of the Nutrices of Poetovio and comparable phenomena in other ancient religions as comparanda.

This distinguishes these groups from the Mother-groups provided with inscriptions, such as that in the Musée de Fourvière in Lyon, probably originally part of a Lararium and meant to guarantee prosperity, health, and domestic happiness.

These elements seem to point to Fate and Fortune and the overall meaning can then be interpreted as the (hopefully happy) journey of man through life and into death.