Woman with Scroll, An Early Byzantine Sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Channel: 2 Byzantinists: Art History Learning Resources
Date: 2020-01-03

Hear Byzantine art historians Evan Freeman and Anne McClanan unlock the meanings of a marble sculpture from the past, showing an early Byzantine/Late Roman woman holding a scroll. 
Video Editor: Anna Weltner
This video is available CC BY 4.0
Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters Collection, 66.25

Info from the Met website: 
https://www.metmuseum.org/en/art/collection/search/468716
Marble Portrait Bust of a Woman with a Scroll
late 4th–early 5th century
Geography: probably Constantinople
Culture: Byzantine
Medium: Marble
Dimensions: 20 7/8 x 10 7/8 x 8 3/4 in. (53 x 27.5 x 22.2 cm)
Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 1966
Accession Number: 66.25
Byzantine

This sensitively carved portrait bust presents a mature woman with a thoughtful expression and piercing gaze; the scroll held in her right hand signals an appreciation for classical learning and marks her as a member of the elite. She wears a mantle, tunic, and head covering, typical dress for an aristocratic woman. Such head coverings did not come into fashion until the fourth century. The bust likely formed part of a commemorative display, perhaps documenting a public donation, or was used in a domestic setting.