A rectangular slab featuring a frontal bust of a woman and a little girl. The lady's right upper extremity forms an acute angle at the elbow, and her right hand is extended towards the bust of the little girl carved at the lateral aspect of the woman's left anterior chest wall. The girl is also seen frontally, and judging by the length of her hair, must be several years old. The girl's head is disproportionately small. She probably is the daughter of the lady and died with her at about the same time.
The woman's face is oval in shape and has suffered substantial damage; still, the eyes are easily discernible. A veil descends from the cranial vault onto the shoulders and is wrapped around the right arm, leaving the corresponding breast uncovered. Locks of curly hair separate the veil from the skull and descend in two plaits by the sides of the long neck all the way to the shoulders. The jewelry consists of a smooth torque with a pendant in front of the sternal notch.
The lower third of the slab is left unfinished.
Provenance: al-Ḥārrā.
Substance: basalt.
Dimensions: H 85 cm, W 32 cm, D 8 cm.
Era: mid second century CE.
Text: adapted from Weber (p.40).
Collection: National Museum of Damascus.
Thomas M. Weber. Sculptures from Roman Syria in the Syrian National Museum of Damascus. Vol I, from Cities and Villages in Central and Southern Syria. Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft. Worms. 2006.
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