About this artwork
Zenobia was queen of the Syrian city of Palmyra and ruled it after her husband’s death in the third century. Harriet Hosmer portrayed Zenobia at the moment of her capture and defeat by the Roman emperor Aurelian in 272 CE. Rather than depict a scene of heightened drama, the sculp-tor opted for a quieter sense of grandeur, remarking, “I have tried to make her too proud to exhibit passion or emotion of any kind; not subdued, though a prisoner; but calm, grand, and strong within herself.”
Hosmer was the leader of a group of women sculptors in Rome beginning in the 1850s. Many of her works feature strong, independent women drawn from history or literature.
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Status
- On View, Gallery 171
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Department
- Arts of the Americas
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Artist
- Harriet Hosmer (Sculptor)
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Title
- Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra
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Place
- United States (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- 1852–1862
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Medium
- Marble
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Inscriptions
- Inscribed on the back: "HARRIET HOSMER / FECIT ROMAE"
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Dimensions
- 86.4 × 57.2 × 31.8 cm (34 × 22 1/2 × 12 1/2 in.)
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Credit Line
- Purchased with funds provided by the Antiquarian Society
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Reference Number
- 1993.260
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/125652/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
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