Funerary Bust of a Man
Place made:
Culture: Roman
Date: 2nd century A.D.
Medium: Limestone
Dimensions:
max. pres. h.: 19 7/8 in. (50.5 cm)
max. pres. w.: 15 9/16 in. (39.5 cm)
max. pres. d.: 6 5/8 in. (16.8 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Gilbert M. Denman, Jr.
Object number: 85.136.2
Provenance: with Thomas Barlow Walker (1840-1928), Walker Art Gallery, Minneapolis, by 1928; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (acc. no. 1485), 1940-1972; deaccessioned by Walker Art Center in 1972; sold, Sotheby’s New York, September 26-28, 1972 to Gilbert M. Denman, Jr. (1921-2004), San Antonio; Gilbert M. Denman, Jr., by gift to San Antonio Museum of Art, 1985
Published References
Sotheby's, New York, sale catalogue for 26/28 Sept. 1972, lot 307.
Label Text
The city of Palmyra, located at an oasis in the Syrian Desert, became prosperous as a stopping point on trade routes between the Roman and Parthian Empires. Palmyra’s art and culture incorporated the traditions of its predominantly Semitic inhabitants, as well as Greek, Roman, and Parthian features. The Palmyrenes built impressive family tombs, both as aboveground tower tombs and as underground chamber tombs, or hypogea. Within the tombs each burial was sealed in a niche covered with a bust of the deceased; this bust is typical of those carved for men. Many of the busts were accompanied by an Aramaic inscription, now missing from this relief, that gave the name of the deceased.
On view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
