Glass bowl fragment with later inscription

Unknown

ca. 1st–3rd century CE · Glass · Greek and Roman Art

The fragment has been shown by scientific analysis and examination to be ancient. It is probably part of a bowl or globular bottle that was decorated with linear engraving in antiquity. However, the inscription and floral decoration appear to be modern additions. The inscription is copied from a Roman marble cinerary urn that has been known since 1716 and been in the British Museum since 1804. The decoration was therefore added to the fragment in order to enhance its attractiveness and value probably in the 19th century by an astute, well-informed, but unscrupulous person.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1st–3rd century CE

Medium

Glass

Culture

Roman

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917