Funerary relief for a woman from Palmyra (PAL0116)

Funerary relief for a woman from Palmyra (PAL0116)

A limestone funerary relief of a woman with a Palmyrene inscription over the left shoulder. She wears a headdress and veil with a headband decorated in a palm motif flanked by geometric shapes, a design used frequently on the funerary reliefs of Palmyra. The band headdress covers her forehead and obscures the part in her hair, but tendrils of wavy hair spill onto the figure's shoulders beneath the veil. She wears elaborate earrings and several necklace strands (or one necklace made up of different strands). Her tunic beneath her cloak is decorated, and a band of floral decoration (perhaps another piece of jewelry) is located around her upper right arm. In her left hand she grasps the end of her cloak in a loop, while she gestures with her right hand, palm in, with the thumb, pointer, and little finger extended and the two middle fingers folded down. The incised almond shaped eyes, frontal composition, and fleshy Venus-rings across her neck are often found on these reliefs. Dated to the third century CE.

Image rights: Public domain via the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Limestone

PAL0116

21 x 14 x 6cm

Upper left portion of relief background

Palmyra; Gift of Nasli M. Heeramaneck

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, M.76.174.249

Mousavi, A. 2012. Ancient Near Eastern art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Heyn, M.K. 2010. "Gesture and Identity in the Funerary Art of Palmyra," American Journal of Archaeology, 114 (4): 631-661.