Fragment of Fish Plaque
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for Fragment of Fish Plaque
Fragment of Fish Plaque
Place of OriginEgypt
DateSecond century BCE to first century CE, possibly later
DimensionsH: 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm); L: 1 15/16 in. (5.0 cm); Thickness: 1/4 in. (0.7 cm); Depth: 1/16 in. (0.2 cm)
Mediumglass
ClassificationGlass
Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1923.243
Not on View
DescriptionFragment of a plaque featuring an inlaid mosaic fish, made of fused polychrome mosaic glass. The opaque turquoise-blue ground contains numerous cane sections arranged to form a dark blue fish with a grayish-blue belly. The dorsal fin and tail are grayish-blue, each streaked with purple. Behind the dorsal fin and curving above the tail is a cluster of canes in opaque yellow streaked with brown; this area is incomplete and its original shape is indeterminate. The inlay is visible only on the upperside and does not penetrate the full thickness of the plaque. The upper surface is flat and polished; the underside is flat but rough. The piece was constructed by assembling small sections of colored glass canes into a design and pressing them into the ground glass while hot.
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. 655, p. 367.Second century BCE to first century CE, possibly later
Second century BCE to first century CE, possibly later
3rd-4th century CE
Early to mid-first century CE
Late first century BCE to early first century CE
Third to first century BCE
Late first century BCE to early first century CE
Third to first century BCE
Late first century BCE to early first century CE
Late first century BCE to early first century CE
Late 1st century BCE to early 1st century CE
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