Cameo Glass Vessel Fragment with Dionysiac Scene
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for Cameo Glass Vessel Fragment with Dionysiac Scene
Cameo Glass Vessel Fragment with Dionysiac Scene
Place of OriginLikely Rome
Date1st century CE
DimensionsL: 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm); W: 2 in. (5.1 cm)
MediumCameo glass
ClassificationGlass
Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1923.1536
Not on View
DescriptionThis is a weathered rim fragment of a Roman cameo glass vessel, made with an opaque white relief layered over deep blue glass. It features a bearded satyr with a wreath, hunched posture, and head turned downward. He extends his bent right arm while holding a thyrsus in his left hand. A drooping canopy of trees forms a shaded area above, indicating the presence of a now-missing figure—possibly Dionysos—beneath. The composition suggests a Dionysiac revelry.
Label TextThis cameo glass rim fragment, likely made in Rome during the 1st century CE, shows a satyr beneath a heavy tree canopy. Finely cut in white glass over cobalt blue, the satyr stands in a hunched pose, holding a thyrsus—a staff associated with the god Dionysos. Above him, the branches of a tree droop protectively, suggesting a sacred or ritual setting. This small fragment would have once formed part of a larger vessel decorated with mythological scenes. The cameo technique involved fusing layers of colored glass and then cutting away the surface to reveal contrasting designs.
1st century CE
1st century CE
Mid- to late 4th century CE
2nd-1st century B.C.E.
about 10-50 CE
3rd-4th century CE
1st-2nd century CE
668-627 BCE
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