LaurieAnnie's photos with the keyword: limestone

Funerary relief ca. 50–150 Object Details Date: ca. 50–150 Geography: From Syria, Palmyra Medium: Limestone Dimensions: 20 in. × 14 15/16 in. × 9 3/4 in. (50.8 × 38 × 24.8 cm) Classification: Stone-Sculpture-Inscribed Credit Line: Purchase, 1901 Accession Number: 01.25.1 This relief is a type of funerary monument characteristic of the prosperous caravan city of Palmyra during the first three centuries A.D. Reliefs with a representation of the deceased and a short identifying inscription were used to seal burial niches in elaborately decorated communal tombs; those with a half-length or bust format became prevalent sometime after A.D. 65. The relief depicts the upper body of a woman dressed in a draped garment, pinned at the left shoulder with an elaborate brooch, who faces directly towards the viewer. Her hair is covered by a turban-like headdress, made up of a wrapped cloth with a twisted border, worn over a diadem that covers her forehead. Long, wavy locks of hair fall behind her ears to her shoulders. Tiny plain rings cover the outer rims of her ears. She wears a long veil over her head which covers both arms, leaving only the hands exposed. The left hand holds a spindle and distaff, tools for spinning wool into yarn, which are associated with women’s domestic work. The right hand is held raised with the palm facing out, a gesture which may have been protective and is frequently seen on women’s funerary portraits from Palmyra. Her expression is serene, and her gaze does not meet the viewer’s but looks far into the distance. The iris and pupil of the eye are marked by incised concentric circles, and the eyebrows are indicated by modeled ridges. Her small mouth is framed by delicately modeled cheeks and chin, with the horizontal lines across the throat adding to the impression of fleshy softness. The relief can be stylistically dated to about 50-150 A.D. because of the hairstyle, and the patterned folds of the garment. An inscription which appears over her right shoulder, difficult to decipher, may have been added later Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322367

Gravestone with a Draped Young Man Holding a Bowl Limestone Syria, Palmyra 2nd-3rd century AD Accession # 01.25.5 Inscribed, "Maliku the son of Zabba, the son of..." From the first century BC, the oasis city of Palmyra, in the northern Syrian desert, controlled most of the caravan trade routes from the East to the Mediterranean seacoast. Originally an independent Arabian principality, it became successively a vassal state, a free city, and a colony under under Roman control. Lavishly decorated temples and processional streets provide evidence of the wealth of the city. The sculptures exhibited here come from impressive stone funerary monuments. Family vaults contained multiple burials in stone boxes sealed with relief images of the deceased. The figural style as well as the divine and human images and symbols reflect the mixed Greek, Syrian, and Iranian Parthian culture of the inhabitants. Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.

Limestone ossuary with lid Roman, 1st-3rd century AD Accession # X.248.11a, b Despite the use of a similar rosette design, this ossuary differs from the other one displayed in the case to the left in that its decoration is carved in relief and still retains traces of its original red paint. It has a Greek inscription identifying two individuals whose bones it contained. Their names are Philetarios and Annios, suggesting that they may have been Hellenized Jews. Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.

Limestone ossuary with lid Roman, 1st-3rd century AD Accession # X.248.11a, b Despite the use of a similar rosette design, this ossuary differs from the other one displayed in the case to the left in that its decoration is carved in relief and still retains traces of its original red paint. It has a Greek inscription identifying two individuals whose bones it contained. Their names are Philetarios and Annios, suggesting that they may have been Hellenized Jews. Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.

Limestone relief with the figure of a woman Greek, Tarentine, late 4th-early 3rd century BC Accession # 1999.281 The figure has been identified as Niobe, who in Greek mythology suffered the loss of all her children when she incurred the displeasure of Leto, mother of Apollo and Artemis. Niobe thus became a stock figure of bereavement and would have been highly appropriate on a relief from a funerary monument such as this. Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.

Limestone relief with the figure of a woman Greek, Tarentine, late 4th-early 3rd century BC Accession # 1999.281 The figure has been identified as Niobe, who in Greek mythology suffered the loss of all her children when she incurred the displeasure of Leto, mother of Apollo and Artemis. Niobe thus became a stock figure of bereavement and would have been highly appropriate on a relief from a funerary monument such as this. Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.

Limestone torso of a hunter Roman, Imperial period, 1st or 2nd century AD Accession # 20.191 This figure of a hunter, thrusting his spear as he lunges forward, was probably part of a sculptural group that must have shown at least the animal he attacks. Other men and dogs could also have been included in a hunting scene that was very popular in both the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.