Funerary Bust from Palmyra3rd century

On view:

Geffen Galleries, Islamic Art and Late Antiquity

Limestone funerary relief bust of a veiled woman shown frontally, wearing layered necklaces and bracelets, with Aramaic inscription, ancient Near Eastern

Title: Funerary Bust from Palmyra
Place Made: Syria, Palmyra
Date Made: 3rd century
Medium: Limestone
Dimensions: 21 × 14 × 6 in. (53.34 × 35.56 × 15.24 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Nasli M. Heeramaneck
Accession Number: M.76.174.249
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Ancient
Curatorial Notes: The ancient oasis city of Palmyra in Syria was an important waypoint along caravan trade routes between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea. As the wealth of the city grew during the first and second centuries, local citizens built four major necropolises to commemorate the dead, which included communal burial towers with stacked burial niches (loculi). These loculi were decorated with high-relief portraits of the deceased and short dedicatory inscriptions, as in the case of this bust. Clothing, text, gesture, and color (remnants of polychromy indicate that the sculptures were once painted) capture the individuality of the deceased. In this instance, the woman wears several layers of garments, including an underrobe with an embroidered armband topped with a loose overrobe pinned at her shoulder with a brooch. Her curled hair is covered with a scarf and a patterned diadem, and she is adorned in jewelry, including several necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. As with other funerary portraits of this kind, the elaborate finery of the woman’s dress and accessories is a lasting testament to the status and wealth of the deceased.

2024
Selected Bibliography: Ancient Bronzes, Ceramics, and Seals: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection of Ancient Near Eastern, Central Asiatic, and European Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1981.
Mousavi, Ali. Ancient Near Eastern art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2012.

Funerary Bust from Palmyra3rd century

On view:

Geffen Galleries, Islamic Art and Late Antiquity

Title: Funerary Bust from Palmyra
Place Made: Syria, Palmyra
Date Made: 3rd century
Medium: Limestone
Dimensions: 21 × 14 × 6 in. (53.34 × 35.56 × 15.24 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Nasli M. Heeramaneck
Accession Number: M.76.174.249
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Ancient
Curatorial Notes: The ancient oasis city of Palmyra in Syria was an important waypoint along caravan trade routes between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea. As the wealth of the city grew during the first and second centuries, local citizens built four major necropolises to commemorate the dead, which included communal burial towers with stacked burial niches (loculi). These loculi were decorated with high-relief portraits of the deceased and short dedicatory inscriptions, as in the case of this bust. Clothing, text, gesture, and color (remnants of polychromy indicate that the sculptures were once painted) capture the individuality of the deceased. In this instance, the woman wears several layers of garments, including an underrobe with an embroidered armband topped with a loose overrobe pinned at her shoulder with a brooch. Her curled hair is covered with a scarf and a patterned diadem, and she is adorned in jewelry, including several necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. As with other funerary portraits of this kind, the elaborate finery of the woman’s dress and accessories is a lasting testament to the status and wealth of the deceased.

2024
Selected Bibliography: Ancient Bronzes, Ceramics, and Seals: The Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection of Ancient Near Eastern, Central Asiatic, and European Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1981.
Mousavi, Ali. Ancient Near Eastern art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2012.