Funerary Monument of Umm’abi
Date: about 200
Dimensions:
23 x 19 in. (58.4 x 48.3 cm)
Medium: limestone with traces of pigment
Place of Origin: Palmyra (Tadmor), Syria
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1962.18
Label Text:Hundreds of portraits survive from Palmyra. Most are sculpted stone slabs used to seal graves cut into the walls of the tombs of wealthy merchant families. The linear style of carving and the clothing and jewelry reflect local fashions rather than those of cities around the Mediterranean Sea. Umm’abi wears a tunic under a cloak and on her head a turban and a floor-length veil. Her lavish jewelry includes a diadem, four necklaces, a brooch with ivy-leaf pendants, rings, cuff armlets, and spiral bracelets. The sculpture was once painted: traces of red, blue, green, and yellow pigment can be seen on the jewels.
DescriptionLimestone with traces of red, black, blue, green, and yellow pigment.
On view
In Collection(s)