Wall Painting of a Procession of Women (The “Wise Virgins”?)
Paint on Plaster, H. 95.0 cm, W. 140.0 cm, D. 5.0 cm
From the Christian Building, Dura-Europos, ca. 232 CE
Yale University Art Gallery, Yale-French Excavations at Dura-Europos: 1932.1201c
Photography © 2011 Yale University Art Gallery
In the lower register of the baptistery paintings, a procession of richly dressed women carrying lighted torches moves around the room, from the door toward the baptismal font. In one interpretation, these women represent the Wise Virgins in Matthew 25:1–13, who devotedly await the arrival of the groom, an analogy for the coming of Christ. Alternatively, they may represent action rather than text and serve to illuminate the journey of real-life initiates as they approached the baptismal font.