Head of a Bishop Saint
(Byzantium and Early Russia)
Although likely produced centuries later, this fresco fragment recalls fresco painting of the Byzantine period. The heavy modeling of the bishop saint’s face and hair are characteristic of earlier representations of holy figures on church walls. He wears a richly patterned textile characteristic of bishops' vestments, and a metallic pigment was used to highlight his halo.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
[Said to be from Thessaloniki [Salonika]]; Joseph Brummer, New York, October 28, 1923, by purchase [Brummer inv. no. 770, 771, or 772- sold together as lot]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, December 1923, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
1947 | Early Christian and Byzantine Art. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Greece, Thessaloniki (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 6 3/8 x W: 3 15/16 in. (16.2 x 10 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1923
Location in Museum
Not on view
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.
37.325