Grave stele with woman holding a mirror. Marble. Late 5th–early 4th century BCE.
The central panel, the stele proper, is enclosed by narrow, Doric pilasters supporting a pediment with akroteria in the form of simple palmettes. The lady is gazing into a mirror. She wears a sleeved chiton with overfold reaching to the waist and a himation. This outer garment covers both shoulders and, passing under the right arm and across the body, is thrown over the left arm at the elbow. Her hair is bound up, and the back of the head is covered by a veil, the folds of its end floating out in the background. A large disc appears on the right ear.
The sides of the stele were carefully smoothed; the top and the back were left rough. The surface of the woman's head is corroded. There is some deposit on the remaining surfaces, which have turned the usual yellow of Pentelic marble.
Exhibited at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Boston, USA.
Art Boston Museum of Fine Arts Classical Funerary Mirror Mythology Original Photo Relief Sculpture Stele USA