Cameo Glass Plaque Fragment with Theatrical Mask

Place of OriginItaly, probably Rome

Date19th century?

DimensionsL: 1 1/4 in. (3.8 cm); W: 1 1/2 in. (3.2 cm)

MediumCameo glass.

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1923.1507

Not on View

DescriptionThis small fragment comes from the bottom edge of a flat cameo glass plaque, carved in relief from a layer of opaque white glass over a translucent cobalt blue base. The decoration depicts a theatrical mask with exaggerated features: bulging eyes, a broad flaring nose, and a gaping mouth from which two leaves emerge in a floral spray. The stylized hair is sculpted in high relief and encircled with a decorative fillet and rosettes at the temples. Ribbon motifs extend outward from either side of the head.

Label TextThis cameo glass fragment once formed part of a Roman plaque, carved in opaque white over cobalt blue glass. It depicts a dramatic mask with fantastical features: bulging eyes, a flaring nose, and an open mouth from which two leaves burst. Such masks likely referenced the theatrical traditions of Dionysian cult or Roman performance. The mask’s hair is wild and ringed with decorative rosettes and fillets, while ribbon motifs stream outward from the temples. Roman cameo glass was a luxury art form that used layered glass and precision carving to produce vivid imagery, often in elite household contexts.