Description
This stele (tombstone) commemorates the death of a woman named Aurelia Artemis. The use of costly, imported marble and the woman's elaborate dress suggest that she came from a wealthy family. The presence of a Greek inscription, as well as the woman's pose, point to a Greek family, possibly Christian, living in southern Egypt.
Provenance
Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1923, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Inscriptions
[Transcription] Αὐρηλίαν Ἄρτεμειν θυγατέρα Πασίωνος τὴν γλυκυτάτην ἀσύνκριτον ἐν πᾶσι· εὐψύχι; [Translation] Farewell Aurelia Artemis, Pasion’s daughter, incomparably sweetest among all.
Credit
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1923