This fresco from the villa at Boscoreale depicts a woman clad in a white chiton and blue cloak, and holding a gold shield in her right hand. The front of the shield shows the image of a standing nude male figure who is adorned with a white headband, the same as those worn by Hellenistic dynasts. This small male figure has been described as a reflected image on the shield, a popular motif in Hellenistic art. However, since there is no image in the fresco cycle that corresponds to a reflection, the figure should be understood as an apparition, which, in antiquity, was viewed as prophetic. The small apparition with a portraitlike head in this particular fresco may refer to a Hellenistic royal heir, and the woman bearing the shield may represent a priestess or prophetess.

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