Glass pyxis with lid
Opaque white.
Box: vertical rim with inward sloping edge; slightly convex cylindrical neck; octagonal sides with pronounced moldings above and below (the upper edge of the former acts as a ledge on which the lid sits); undercurve to base and slightly concave bottom.
Lid: uneven vertical rim; plain cylindrical collar above, curving out to molding; sloping shoulder; flat top.
On box, eight panels around sides decorated with four repeated designs: 1, a spoked circle below a triangular pediment; 2, a palmette below a rounded arch; 3, a circle with central dot within a lozenge; and 4, a lotus flower on a stem below a rounded arch; panels separated by vertical raised lines, decorated on the moldings above and below with raised knobs, perhaps representing thyrsi; on undercurve of base, a circular frieze of overlapping leaves; on bottom, four concentric raised circles with a dot at the center. On lid, eight outward-facing palmettes on shoulder; three concentric raised circles on top with a dot at the center.
Box intact but lid broken and repaired with one chip in rim and other small holes around molding above collar; both box and lid largely covered with milky white weathering and iridescence.
Box mold comprises four vertical panels for the sides and a saucer-shaped section for the base of the box; lid mold comprises a top segment and three side sections.
Box: vertical rim with inward sloping edge; slightly convex cylindrical neck; octagonal sides with pronounced moldings above and below (the upper edge of the former acts as a ledge on which the lid sits); undercurve to base and slightly concave bottom.
Lid: uneven vertical rim; plain cylindrical collar above, curving out to molding; sloping shoulder; flat top.
On box, eight panels around sides decorated with four repeated designs: 1, a spoked circle below a triangular pediment; 2, a palmette below a rounded arch; 3, a circle with central dot within a lozenge; and 4, a lotus flower on a stem below a rounded arch; panels separated by vertical raised lines, decorated on the moldings above and below with raised knobs, perhaps representing thyrsi; on undercurve of base, a circular frieze of overlapping leaves; on bottom, four concentric raised circles with a dot at the center. On lid, eight outward-facing palmettes on shoulder; three concentric raised circles on top with a dot at the center.
Box intact but lid broken and repaired with one chip in rim and other small holes around molding above collar; both box and lid largely covered with milky white weathering and iridescence.
Box mold comprises four vertical panels for the sides and a saucer-shaped section for the base of the box; lid mold comprises a top segment and three side sections.
Artwork Details
- Title: Glass pyxis with lid
- Period: Early Imperial
- Date: 1st half of 1st century CE
- Culture: Roman
- Medium: Glass; mold-blown
- Dimensions: Height: 3 1/16 in. (7.8 cm)
Diameter (.a): 2 7/16 in. × 1 15/16 in. × 1 5/16 in. (6.1 × 5 × 3.4 cm)
Height (.a): 2 1/2 in. (6.3 cm)
Height (.b): 15/16 in. (2.4 cm)
Diameter: 2 3/16 × 2 3/8 in. (5.6 × 6.1 cm) - Classification: Glass
- Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
- Object Number: 17.194.238a, b
- Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art
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