Property from the Collection of t💙he late Antonin and Christiane Besse
A Palmyrene Limestone Portrait Head of a Woman, 2nd/3rd Century A.D.
Auction Closed
December 7, 04:32 PM GMT
Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property from the Collection of the late Antonin and Christia🐼ne Besse
A Palmyrene Limestone Portrait Head of a Woman
2nd/3rd Century A.D.
over-lifesize, turned slightly to her right, and wearing pendant earrings, her eyes with incised irises and dotted pupils, h🌳er hair parted in the middle, surmounted by a diadem, and covered in a veil.
Height 36 cm.
Asfar Bros., Hotel St George, Beirut
Antonin Besse (1927-2016) and Christiane Besse (1928-2021), Beirut and Paris, acquired from the above and shipped to France in January 1970
Antonin Besse (1927-2016) and Christiane Besse (1928-2021), Beirut and Paris, acquired from the above and shipped to France in January 1970
Free-standing portrait heads occur in Palmyra on family banquet scenes forming the top of sarcophagi; see S. Krag and R. Raja, "Representations of Women and Children in Palmyrene Banqueting Reliefs and Sarcophagus Scenes", Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie, vol. 10, 2017, figs. 6-13.