Pyxis with Lid
Pyxis with Lid
Place of OriginProbably Italy
DateLate 1st century BCE to early 1st century CE
DimensionsH: 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm); Diam: 1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm); Thickness: 3/16 in. (0.5 cm); Lid H: 7/16 in. (1.1 cm); Lid Diam: 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm)
MediumPolychrome brown and white agate glass; assembled from sections of cane and cast; rotary-polished on both surfaces.
ClassificationGlass
Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1923.1491
Not on View
DescriptionThis small pyxis with lid is made from polychrome brown and white agate glass using the mosaic glass technique. The vessel was assembled from sections of cane and cast, then rotary-polished on both surfaces. A marbled mosaic pattern is formed from polygonal sections of a single cane in a purple ground with irregular opaque yellow sections and streaks. The pyxis has vertical sides with a rounded basal angle and a flat bottom that is slightly convex on its upperside. The vertical rim was ground back on the exterior to create a narrow ledge for the lid to rest on. The lid itself is flat on the upper and underside, with a vertical rim and rounded edge. A horizontal groove is cut into the exterior of the lid.
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. 587, p. 335, repr. (col.) p. 239.
Lierke, Rosemarie, Die nicht-geblasenen antiken Glasgefaesse, Offenbach/Main, Deutsche glastechnische Gesellschaft, 2009, p. 45, repr. (col.).
Late 1st century BCE to early 1st century CE
Early to mid-1st century CE
Early to mid-1st century CE
Early to mid-1st century CE
Late 1st century BCE to early 1st century CE
Late 1st century BCE to early 1st century CE
Second half of the 1st century CE
Late 1st century BCE to early 1st century CE
Second half of the 1st century CE
Late 1st century BCE to early 1st century CE
Late 1st century BCE to early 1st century CE
Probably 1st century BCE, possibly later
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