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Roundel with the portrait bust of a woman
Palmyrene
Imperial Period, Palmyrene Group II
about A.D. 150–200
Place of Manufacture: Syria, Palmyra
Medium/Technique
Limestone
Dimensions
Height x width: 47 x 43 cm (18 1/2 x 16 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Estate of Dana Estes
Accession Number10.78
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsSculpture
Catalogue Raisonné
Sculpture in Stone (MFA), no. 402.
DescriptionThe edges of the himation, her nose, and her chin have been damaged slightly. Otherwise, the ensemble is in good condition.
The lady's head, shoulders, and chest have been sculpted as a tondo image against a flat, neutral background, which has been cut out as a circle in modern times. The remains of an inscription are visible on the lady's right.
She wears a cloth cap on her head, the front raised to resemble a diadem. Her hair, parted in the middle, is looped up at the sides to reveal her ears and earrings. Her fringed himation is drawn up as a veil over her head. She also wears a chiton and a necklace of beads.
Her head is turned strongly to her own left, and this is followed through in the almost-baroque forward thrust of the left shoulder and elevation of the left breast. The figure is very three-dimensional, and the breasts show through the well-carved drapery in a fashion reminiscent of the late fifth century B.C.
Acc. card note: Eyes are curved down and back in.
The lady's head, shoulders, and chest have been sculpted as a tondo image against a flat, neutral background, which has been cut out as a circle in modern times. The remains of an inscription are visible on the lady's right.
She wears a cloth cap on her head, the front raised to resemble a diadem. Her hair, parted in the middle, is looped up at the sides to reveal her ears and earrings. Her fringed himation is drawn up as a veil over her head. She also wears a chiton and a necklace of beads.
Her head is turned strongly to her own left, and this is followed through in the almost-baroque forward thrust of the left shoulder and elevation of the left breast. The figure is very three-dimensional, and the breasts show through the well-carved drapery in a fashion reminiscent of the late fifth century B.C.
Acc. card note: Eyes are curved down and back in.
ProvenanceDana Estes (b. 1841 - d. 1909), Brookline, MA; 1910, gift of the estate of Dana Estes to the MFA. (Accession Date: March 28, 1910)