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Gold phiale (libation bowl)

4th–3rd century BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 163
Inscribed on the base sketchily in Greek, "Pausi[ ]," and more deeply engraved in Punic (Carthaginian) characters, an indication of weight

This libation bowl, decorated with bees, acorns, and beechnuts, is worked in repoussé. Phialai decorated with acorns were being made by the late sixth century B.C. and must have been traditional. Acorns could also be seen on the phialai held by the caryatids of the Erechtheum on the Akropolis in Athens, as we learn from Roman copies found in Hadrian's villa at Tivoli.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Gold phiale (libation bowl)
  • Period: Late Classical or Hellenistic
  • Date: 4th–3rd century BCE
  • Culture: Greek
  • Medium: Gold
  • Dimensions: H. 1 7/16 in. (3.6 cm); diameter 9 1/4 in. (23.5 cm)
  • Classification: Gold and Silver
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1962
  • Object Number: 62.11.1
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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1225. Gold phiale (libation bowl)

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