Lot 41
Near East / Holy Land, Palmyra, Roman period, ca. 2nd to 3rd century CE. Wow! A stunning, naturalistic limestone head of a priest wearing a characteristically cylindrical headdress, known as a modius, encircled by a relief wreath with a miniature bust at the front. The ancient visage is remarkably lifelike, gazing forward from a pair of huge, heavy-lidded eyes with incised pupils beneath a finely-lined brow. His straight nose displays a narrow nasal bridge and sits just above a set of bowed lips, which gently turn up at the corners in a petite smile, and a clefted chin. Though his eyes are slightly sunken, the full, fleshiness of his cheeks suggest that he may be of a younger age. The rough verso indicates that this head was previously part of a relief, and the evidence of chisel markings on the cheeks and nose signify that it may not have been finished. Size: 6.9" W x 10.3" H (17.5 cm x 26.2 cm); 16.1" H (40.9 cm) on included custom stand.
Note the remains of a bust atop his headdress. Scholars posit that these armless busts that adorn the wreaths of priests functioned as symbols of the priest's rank, as a badge of clan membership, or to express connections to some ancestral cults. The limestone is beautifully marbled and crystallized, with a creamy, almost uniform color.
Palmyra was a wealthy city that linked the caravan routes from the Parthian Near East with the Roman Mediterranean; the people who lived there during this period largely enjoyed prosperity and were able to adopt eastern and western customs, clothing, and artistic styles, creating a distinctive visual culture unique to the city. We know of this culture today from the large funerary monuments that the Palmyrene people built - tower-shaped vaults whose interiors were lined with sculpted limestone reliefs depicting the deceased.
Provenance: private East Coast collection, New York, USA; ex-East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010
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#159165
- Condition: Fragment of a larger piece. Losses to top of headdress and head of bust on headdress, as well as some nicks, chips, and abrasions throughout, all commensurate with age.
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