Bowl Fragment
1st century BCE-1st century CE
Medium
Glass, ribbon technique
Dimensions
3.8 × 3.2 × 0.5 cm (1 1/2 × 1 1/4 × 3/16 in.)
Classification
fragment
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
67577
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In ancient Rome, there was a high demand for colorful glass that could dazzle banquet guests alongside the expensive silver and gold serving wares meant to impress. Fragments like this one would have once been a part of larger mosaic dishes. The ribbon pattern was made by bundling rows of parallel rods of glass, which were then fused to create swirling patterns
About the Artist
Ancient Roman
The artists attributed to "Ancient Roman" in museum collections represent the anonymous craftsmen who produced the vast output of sculpture, frescoes, mosaics, and reliefs defining Roman visual culture from the Republic (c. 509–27 BCE) to the late Empire (c. 395 CE). Individual identities remain elusive, as Roman makers were typically viewed as skilled tradesmen—often enslaved Greeks or provincial...