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
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
Credit Line
Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson