Scallop Shell Dish
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for Scallop Shell Dish
Scallop Shell Dish
Place of OriginPossibly Italy
Date1st century CE
DimensionsH: 2 in. (5.1 cm); W. (max.): 7.2 cm (2 13/16 in.)
MediumBronze (cast, hammered, and lathe-finished)
ClassificationMetalwork
Credit LineGift of Dennis and Joyce Kapp
Object number
1983.17
Not on View
DescriptionA bronze vessel cast and hammered in the form of a stylized bivalve scallop shell. The basin is deep with a scalloped rim, featuring prominent, radiating ribs that converge at a hinged section at the back, resembling the natural articulation of a pecten shell. The surface features a dark patina with areas of green corrosion and crystallization. The ribs appear skeletal and highly stylized compared to naturalistic examples.
Label TextThis Roman bronze vessel mimics the form of a scallop (bivalve) shell, characterized by deep, radiating ribs and a scalloped rim. Cast and finished with hammering and potentially lathe-work, the object exemplifies the Roman penchant for skeuomorphic vessels—objects created in one material to resemble another (in this case, natural sea shell).Published ReferencesPage, Jutta-Annette, The Art of Glass: Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio, Toledo Museum of Art, 2006, repr. (col.) fig. 9.1, p. 35.
Probably first half of 4th century CE
Probably second quarter of 1st century
19th-20th Century
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