Fragment of an Inlay Depicting a Theater Mask

Description

This half face of a woman or theatrical mask was made from a bundle of dozens of colorful glass rods that were fused together. The resulting bar or cane of glass was then heated and stretched out, thereby miniaturizing the pattern. Slices of the cane were placed in symmetrical pairs to form a complete face. Such inlays embellished furniture, boxes, and household shrines to the gods.

Provenance

Reverend Chauncey Murch (1859-1907), Luxor, Egypt; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1894; price reimbursed by Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson, 1894.

Fragment of an Inlay Depicting a Theater Mask

Ancient Egyptian

late 1st century BCE-early 1st century CE

Accession Number

132070

Medium

Glass, mosaic glass technique

Dimensions

3.6 × 1.4 × 0.4 cm (1 7/16 × 9/16 × 1/8 in.)

Classification

glass

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson