Near East / Holy Land, Palmyra, Roman period, ca. 2nd to 3rd century CE. Skillfully carved in high relief and finely detailed, a limestone head of a young priest wearing a characteristically tubular headdress. The priest's quixotic visage is comprised of heavy-lidded, almond-shaped eyes with incised irises and pupils, neatly manicured brows, an aquiline nose, closed full lips with delineated philtrum and Cupid's bow, full youthful cheeks, a rounded chin, and naturalistic ears. Though with losses as shown, the details are beautifully preserved. Size: 10.5" H (26.7 cm); 15.25" H (38.7 cm) on included custom stand.

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 Palmyrans built - tower-shaped vaults whose interiors were lined with sculpted limestone reliefs depicting the deceased.

c.f. a similar sculpture in "Zenobia: il sogno di una regina d'oriente" (Milan, 2002), no. 44, pg. 50 and 52; and two heads catalogued as nos. 35 and 37 on pgs. 40-41 of J. Michael Padgett, ed., "Roman Sculpture" (Princeton, 2001).

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-William Froelich collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 1970s

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#139011

Losses to headdress, neck, ears, nose, and other high pointed areas. Expected surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age.