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https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=7760E14ADEDACC99477B464581985035D8C792F5AE4975739F69EC0F338F840D&s=24247294&se=855274725&v=0&f=1970.15_o2.jpg

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Jan 27, 2014

Procession of Nobles

AD 100–150

Syria, Palmyra

Limestone

Overall: 57.7 x 120.7 x 34.5 cm (22 11/16 x 47 1/2 x 13 9/16 in.)

Weight: 855 lbs

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1970.15

Location

not on view

Description

Palmyra was a key center for trade between the Roman and Parthian Empires. This unique relief has been associated with Palmyra only through stylistic comparisons; it is not known where it was found on the site. It depicts men in Parthian dress riding Arabian horses with bejeweled harness trappings ahead of riders on camels—a possible reference to the caravans that made Palmyra so wealthy. Although all of the riders are dressed and equipped as Parthians, the proportions and perspective of the scene seem to be informed by Greco-Roman conventions. It may depict a ceremonial procession.

Provenance

by 1969

J.J. Klejman Works of Art, New York, NY

Citations

Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1970.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 58, no. 2 (1971): 22–71. Ill. p. 26 (cat. 1). www.jstor.org

Kozloff, Arielle P. “Three Ancient near Eastern Celebrations and a Guest of Honor.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 61, no. 1 (1974): 14–26. See esp. pp. 20-22. www.jstor.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 30 archive.org

Neils, Jenifer. “The Twain Shall Meet.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 72, no. 6, 1985, pp. 326–359. Mentioned: p. 333, fig. 9. Reproduced: p. 332, fig. 9 www.jstor.org

Herrmann, Georgina. 1989. "Parthian and Sasanian Saddlery: New Light from the Roman West" in Archaeologia Iraníca et Orientalis ii: Miscellanea in Honorem Louis Vanden Berghe, eds. L. de Meyer, E. Haerinck, pp. 757-809. Gent. Ill. pp. 801-802, pl. XII-XIII.

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. Reproduced: p. 13 archive.org

Nicolle, David, and Angus McBride. 1991. The Desert Frontier. Rome's Enemies, 5. London: Osprey. Ill. p. 15.

Will, Ernest. 1992. Les Palmyréniens : La Venise des sables (Ier siècle avant-Iiième siècle après J.-C.). Collection Civilisations U. Paris: A. Colin. See pp. 101-102 (ill.).

Sebesta, Judith Lynn, and Larissa Bonfante. The World of Roman Costume. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1994. Ill. p. 168, fig. 10.2.

Dirven, Lucinda. "Camels, Caravans and Deities: Representations of Camels in Palmyra and Hatra as Proof of Caravan Trade," in D. Alexander (ed.), The Camel through the Ages. A Compendium dedicated to Dr. Abd Al-Rahmam Al- Tayyis Al-Ansari Vol. II (Riyad 2020), 197-212. Ill. pp. 197-198, 203 (Fig. 6).

Exhibition history

Year in Review: 1970. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 10-March 7, 1971).

The Twain Shall Meet. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 30, 1985-January 5, 1986).

Stories of Syria's Textiles: Art and Heritage across Two Millenia. Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY (organizer) (October 15, 2023-January 28, 2024).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Procession of Nobles|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1970.15|year=AD 100–150|access-date=04 June 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Procession of Nobles

Procession of Nobles

Syria, Palmyra

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