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Tomb Door
(Byzantium and Early Russia)
Rock-cut sepulchers, like the one in which Jesus' body was laid according to the Gospels (Mark 15:46), were widespread in the ancient Near East. This slab once closed such a tomb. A number of similar doors discovered in Syria are carved with crosses and with the monogram for "Christ." The decoration of this one has no explicitly religious symbols and simply copies the ornamentation of doors made of wood and of cast bronze. The hole in the lower left side was used as a handle for opening and closing the door.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
[Found in Syria]; Lloyd and Jeanne Raport, Chevy Chase, Maryland, prior to 1972, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1975, by gift.
Geographies
Syria (Place of Origin)
Measurements
46 x 31 1/2 in. (116.8 x 80 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Lloyd and Jeanne Raport, 1975
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
26.5