Key artifacts from ISIS-endangered Palmyra, Syria on view at the Freer and Sackler Galleries
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Monday, September 1, 2025


Key artifacts from ISIS-endangered Palmyra, Syria on view at the Freer and Sackler Galleries
Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Near East, and one of the best preserved city-states in the world.



WASHINGTON, DC.- An exquisitely sculpted ancient bust of a woman from Palmyra, Syria, is returned to view for the first time since 2006 at the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Named "Haliphat," it will be accompanied by images of 18th-century engravings and 19th-century photographs of ancient Palmyra selected from the Freer|Sackler Libraries and Archives. A newly created 3-D scan of the bust will also be released for viewing and download at a later date as part of the Smithsonian X 3D Collection.

Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Near East, and one of the best preserved city-states in the world.

"In the face of current tragic upheavals in Iraq and Syria, every stone, arch and carved relief plays a greater historical and cultural role than it has in the past," said Julian Raby, the Dame Jillian Sackler Director of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art. "Like the relief of Haliphat, each stone can remind a people of its past, and fashion identity both individually and collectively."

Once lush, wealthy and cosmopolitan, Palmyra ("the city of palms") was an oasis in the desert at the hub of trade between the Mediterranean, Mesopotamia, ancient Iran and Southeast Asia. Two millennia ago, its inhabitants constructed monumental colonnades, temples, a theater and elaborate tomb complexes, a significant amount of which survives today.

Dating from 231 AD, the limestone funerary relief sculpture depicts an elegant, bejeweled figure with both Roman and Aramaic artistic influences, reinforcing Palmyra's status between the Eastern and Western worlds.

The accompanying photographs were taken 1867-1876 by prolific photographer Fèlix Bonfils and provide the most complete visual record of Palmyra from the 19th century.

The engraving images are from Robert Woods' 1753 The Ruins of Palmyra, a publication that inspired the popular neoclassical architecture style in Britain and North America. Its image of an "Eagle Decorating an Ancient Roman Temple" was the model for the image on the seal of the United States, and its depictions of Palmyra's coffered ceilings shaped the ceiling of the north entrance of the Freer Gallery of Art.

The display will be on view indefinitely.










Today's News

June 9, 2015

Michael Craig-Martin curates explosion of colour in Summer Exhibition 2015

Artemis Gallery Ancient and Ethnographic Art Auction led by rarities from private collections

Retrospective exhibition of Jeff Koons' work opens at the Guggenheim in Bilbao

Gagosian to open new London gallery with exhibition of works by Cy Twombly

Belgium snubs France with euro coin marking Napoleon defeat at the Battle of Waterloo

Regaliceratops peterhewsi: Unusual horned dinosaur unearthed in Alberta, Canada

Dutch court rules Herge heirs don't have famous boy reporter Tintin monopoly

Key artifacts from ISIS-endangered Palmyra, Syria on view at the Freer and Sackler Galleries

New public exhibition of works by architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava opens on Park Avenue

Rijksmuseum presents new acquisition: Italian ensemble of 46 watercolours by J.A. Knip

Quinns' Auction Galleries' Waverly division turns to books, maps for June 11 sale

65 masterworks from the Vilcek Foundation Collection on view at the Phoenix Art Museum

New York City's Guernsey's to sell the finest collection of 2,000 patriotic posters

The Reading Public Museum presents dynamic exhibition of works by leading Italian Futurists

Records shattered at Heritage Auctions' Modern & Contemporary Art Sale

Native American art from the collection of Mario Luraschi on offer at Bonhams in fall 2015

France's fashion designer for petite women dies aged 105

Exhibition of new collection of furniture pieces by Zaha Hadid opens at David Gill Gallery

Fabergé-by-the-numbers: Fascinating facts from the new film 'Fabergé: A Life of its Own'

Impressionist & Modern Art Sales at Christie's include annual auction dedicated to Picasso ceramics

Exhibition of recent paintings by Piero Golia opens at Gagosian Gallery in Rome

Mexican Architect commissioned to create installation in V&A Garden as highlight of the Year of Mexico

Sotheby's to present dedicated classical Chinese paintings sales in Hong Kong

Rubin Museum hires Risha Lee as Curator, Exhibitions




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 




Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)


Editor: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful