Limestone funerary stele
This piece is a limestone funerary stele from Egypt. It dates from the Late Antique Period (possibly 3rd to 4th Century), and depicts a young boy sitting in a niche. He has one foot tucked-in, and he holds a bird (probably a dove) in one hand and a bunch of grapes in the other. This piece was purchased by the Allard Pierson Museum in 1972 and was displayed for a short time before the authenticity of the piece was questioned. To this day, it is still uncertain whether the piece is “real” or “fake.”
The challenge with this object is: can a museum display an object with this kind of uncertainty? If so,how?
Written by: Lindsay Morehouse, PhD Candidate in Early Medieval Archaeology
Coptic relief (stele of boy with grapes)
This piece is a limestone funerary stele from Egypt. It dates from the Late Antique Period (possibly 3rd to 4th Century), and depicts a young boy sitting in a niche.