Fragment of Obsidian Plate
Fragment of Obsidian Plate
Place of OriginAncient Rome, Italy or Eastern Mediterranean
DateProbably late first century BCE to early first century CE
DimensionsH: 3/8 in. (1 cm); Original Diam: 11 1/4 in. (28.5 cm); Rim Thickness: 3/16 in. (0.5 cm)
MediumObsidian glass; rotary-polished and cut on both surfaces.
ClassificationGlass
Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1923.1712
Not on View
DescriptionObsidian black glass engraved with double Kymation.
Fragment of rim (edge missing), side, bottom, and handle of broad, shallow obsidian plate. Nearly opaque, dark gray stone (appearing black). Broad, almost horizontal rim, flat on its upper- and undersides; vestiges of an elaborately carved horizontal handle; flat bottom; low, rounded base ring at junction of the rim and side. On the exterior of the handle, curvilinear grooves cut in a pattern that loosely conforms to the shape of the handle; on the exterior of the rim, a cut floral pattern with curvilinear stems and leaves encircling a central four-petaled flower. On the exterior of the base ring, a rounded horizontal ridge.
Published ReferencesGrose, David F., Early Ancient Glass: Core-Formed, Rod-Formed, and Cast Vessels and Objects from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Roman Empire, 1600 B. C. to A. D. 50, New York: Hudson Hills Press in association with the Toledo Museum of Art, 1989, cat. no. 618, p. 342.Probably late first century BCE to early first century CE
Probably late first century BCE to early first century CE
2nd to mid-1st century BCE
Early first century CE
Probably first century BCE, possibly later
Mid-second to early first century BCE
Mid-second to early first century BCE
Mid-second to early first century BCE
Early first century CE
Early first century CE
Mid-second to early first century BCE
Late first century BCE to early first century CE
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