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: 1/2 in. (1.3 cm); Original Diam: 13 3/8 in. (34 cm); Min. Rim Thickness: 1/4 in. (0.6 cm)
MediumGlass; rotary-polished and cut on both surfaces.
ClassificationGlass
Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1923.1711
Not on View
DescriptionTranslucent cobalt blue with engraved acanthus scroll.
Fragment of rim (edge missing) and side of large obsidian plate or bowl. Nearly opaque, dark gray stone (appearing black). Broad, almost horizontal rim, flat on its upperside and proceeding obliquely downward on its underside; vestiges of a straight side, tapering diagonally downward. On the exterior of the rim, a cut geometric pattern with two running spirals separated by a central horizontal ridge and flanked by narrow horizontal grooves, with a pronounced, rounded ridge projecting above the rim just before the junction with the side and a narrow horizontal groove immediately below the 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. 619, p. 342.Probably late first century BCE to early first century CE
Probably late first century BCE to early first century CE
Mid-second to early first century BCE
Mid-second to early first century BCE
Probably second to mid-first century BCE
Mid-second to early first century BCE
Late fourth century BCE
Mid-second to early first century BCE
First century BCE
Late first century BCE to early first century CE
Probably first century BCE, possibly later
Mid-second to early first century BCE
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