Julia Domna, born in Syria as a daughter of a priest of the sun god Elagabalus, was the wife of Emperor Septimius Severus (reigned 193-211 CE). The smooth uninterrupted expanses of her face, the heavily lidded eyes with the pupils created by two overlapping, spherical cavities, and the detailed incisions of the hair are distinctive of this period.
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.
Carducci collection, Rome, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Joseph Brummer, New York and Paris, 1929, by purchase [Brummer inv. no. P6549]; Joseph Brummer Sale, New York, June 9, 1949, no. 459; Walters Art Museum, 1949, by purchase.
Exhibitions
1978
In Search of Ancient Treasure: 40 Years of Collecting. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.
1971-1972
World of Wonder. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.