A Persian Guard
1 of 6
Object Label
In the upper register of this funerary stela, a man named Penamun, his wife, and one of their sons present offerings to the god Osiris, behind whom stands the goddess Isis. In the middle register, Penamun and his wife sit before a table of offerings. Facing them are a lector priest, a professional singer in an attitude of mourning, and one of their daughters. In the bottom register another man and his wife receive offerings from their children. The registers are meant to suggest different realms of existence. The upper register is the realm of the netherworld, the middle that of the tomb, and the bottom that of the living.
Caption
Ancient Near Eastern; Persian; Achaemenid. A Persian Guard, 5th–4th century B.C.E.. Limestone, 10 1/2 x 9 x 1 7/8 in. (26.6 x 22.8 x 4.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Kevorkian Foundation in memory of Hagop Kevorkian, 65.195. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 65.195_view1_PS2.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Cultures
Title
A Persian Guard
Date
5th–4th century B.C.E.
Period
Persian Achaemenid Period
Geography
Place made: Persepolis, Iran
Medium
Limestone
Classification
Dimensions
10 1/2 x 9 x 1 7/8 in. (26.6 x 22.8 x 4.7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the Kevorkian Foundation in memory of Hagop Kevorkian
Accession Number
65.195
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
Does the museum have possession of the rest of the relief from which this fragment comes?
That is a good question! This is the only fragment of the relief that the Museum owns. If you look closely, you'll see the hand, shield, and spear of another guard standing behind the one whose head we see. This Persian guard demonstrates a typical hairstyle from his time and place. Hair and clothing are often these easiest way to tell where a person is from in ancient art.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at