Glass cameo

Place of OriginRoman Empire

Date1st century BCE - 4th century CE

DimensionsH: 7/8 in. (2.2 cm); W: 1 1/8 in. (2.9 cm)

MediumCameo glass.

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1923.1525

Not on View

DescriptionThis oval cameo glass medallion is made of opaque white glass layered over a translucent pale blue or greenish ground. The scene is delicately carved and shows three figures: a seated draped woman on the right offering a kylix to a large feline—possibly a panther, lioness, or leopard—who drinks from it. With her raised right arm, the woman holds an object over the animal’s head. At left stands a rotund older male figure, wearing a cape or animal skin and holding a staff, possibly a thyrsus. All three figures stand on a naturalistic ground. These figure types are commonly found in Dionysiac contexts, though the identification is not definitive. The surface is chipped and weathered.