Funerary Stela with Boy Seated in a Niche
Description
Object Label: The most common image of the deceased in pagan burials was a figure of a boy standing or seated in a niche. The seated boy here holds a dove and a bunch of grapes. These objects may also have been held by the standing figure, but his hands and especially his head have been recut and repainted in modern times. That is why those features appear to be in perfect condition, in contrast to the partially preserved color on his red robe. Caption: Coptic. Funerary Stela with Boy Seated in a Niche, 4th–5th century C.E.. Limestone, ancient and modern pigment, 26 9/16 x 12 5/8 x 6 3/16 in. (67.5 x 32 x 15.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 71.39.2. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
AI image analysis GPT-4o-2024-08-06
Machine-generated from the object's image on May 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
A painted limestone funerary stela depicting a figure holding grapes and a bird.
The artifact is a painted limestone stela showing a carved figure set within an arched niche. The figure appears to be holding a cluster of grapes in one hand and a bird in the other. The relief style is typical of funerary stelae, with a focus on the individual and offerings. The use of paint is notable, enhancing the depiction with color despite age-related wear.
Cross-references (2)
- BKM-Accession 71.39.2 tier-2
- BKM-Object 97116 tier-2
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Brooklyn Museum — Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art.
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.