Section of Mosaic Cane
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for Section of Mosaic Cane
Section of Mosaic Cane
Place of OriginEgypt
Date3rd to 1st century BCE
DimensionsH: 1/2 in. (1.3 cm); W: 3/8 in. (1 cm); Thickness: 1/8 in. (0.3 cm)
MediumFused polychrome mosaic glass; assembled from sections of cane and cast; polished; edges roughly polished.
ClassificationGlass
Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1923.298
Not on View
DescriptionThis glass fragment shows a seated baboon, a symbol of the god Thoth, who was associated with wisdom and writing in ancient Egyptian religion. The image is made from colored glass canes fused together, with detailed touches like a sun disk above the baboon’s head and a feather held in its hands. The body is formed from different colors and patterns of glass to suggest fur, including tiny yellow lines on blue and fine blue streaks around the head. The piece likely once formed part of a larger decorative object.
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. 631, p. 362-363.
2nd century CE
1st century BCE to 1st century CE
3rd to 1st century BCE
3rd to 1st century BCE
Head and hindquarters: early 20th century; Body: probably 7th-1st century CE
19th century, Edo Period (1600-1868)
Mitsuyasu
19th century, Edo Period (1600-1868)
19th century, Edo Period (1600-1868)
Goto Mitsuyuki
19th century, Edo Period (1600-1868)
1st century BCE - 4th century CE
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