Glass plaque fragment

Unknown

1st century CE · Glass · Greek and Roman Art

Translucent pale blue and opaque mid blue. Square or rectangular, flat plaque; straight upper edge in mid blue, with projecting rough edge and grozed back in pale blue. Decoration in high relief: parts of two figures: at left, raised (proper left ?) arm bent upwards at elbow; at center, naked male figure leaning forward to left but with his head turned back in three-quarter view to right and proper left arm behind a large, unidentified object; behind arm of first figure in low relief a trident; below and in front of central figure, foliate sprays. Fragment with weathered broken edges, but one area with clean break at bottom left; small part of top edge remaining; dulling, pitting, whitish weathering, and faint iridescence. The plaque is not a true cameo, since the translucent blue background is completely covered with a thin layer of opaque light-blue glass. The scene, which involves a man and at least one other person, cannot now be identified.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1st century CE

Medium

Glass

Culture

Roman

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917