Funerary Relief of a Priest (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
Palmyra, located in modern Syria, was a wealthy city on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire. Palmyrene funerary portraits reflect the merging of Near Eastern artistic conventions (e.g., an emphasis on frontality and stiff poses) with the naturalism of Graeco-Roman portraiture. These reliefs decorated small compartments (cubicula) inside tombs.
The high, cylindrical hat is decorated with a jeweled wreath and identifies the man as a priest.
Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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