Cameo Glass Plaque Fragment with Theatrical Mask
Cameo Glass Plaque Fragment with Theatrical Mask
Place of OriginItaly, probably Rome
Date1st century CE
DimensionsL: 1 1/4 in. (3.8 cm); W: 1 1/2 in. (3.2 cm)
MediumCameo glass.
ClassificationGlass
Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1923.1507
Not on View
DescriptionThis small fragment comes from the bottom edge of a flat cameo glass plaque, carved in relief from a layer of opaque white glass over a translucent cobalt blue base. The decoration depicts a theatrical mask with exaggerated features: bulging eyes, a broad flaring nose, and a gaping mouth from which two leaves emerge in a floral spray. The stylized hair is sculpted in high relief and encircled with a decorative fillet and rosettes at the temples. Ribbon motifs extend outward from either side of the head.
Label TextThis cameo glass fragment once formed part of a Roman plaque, carved in opaque white over cobalt blue glass. It depicts a dramatic mask with fantastical features: bulging eyes, a flaring nose, and an open mouth from which two leaves burst. Such masks likely referenced the theatrical traditions of Dionysian cult or Roman performance. The mask’s hair is wild and ringed with decorative rosettes and fillets, while ribbon motifs stream outward from the temples. Roman cameo glass was a luxury art form that used layered glass and precision carving to produce vivid imagery, often in elite household contexts.1st century CE
1st-2nd century CE
1st century BCE - 1st century CE
1st century - 4th century CE
Late 2nd to early 3rd century CE
Possibly 1st century BCE
1st century CE
1st century CE
1st century BCE - 4th century CE
1st century CE
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