Ask the Scholar

Document scope · 2 pages
obj
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory. For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.

Source Description

The mirror is cast as one piece with its handle. The handle ends with an animal’s head. The edge, which is thicker than the body, carries a pattern of diagonal lines. The front of the handle has a cast stalk pattern, ending in a palmette at the top. Above the palmette at the bottom of the mirror surface is an incised acanthus pattern. The back of the mirror has incised decoration. The incised scene shows four persons at a banquet. A flute girl sits at the foot of a table, playing. On the couch behind the table is a bearded, garlanded, older man holding a cup in his right hand, while his left arm is hooked around a thyrsis. A girl lies across his lap. At the head of the couch a younger man is seated, drinking from a cup. At the foot of the couch is an Ionic column. Around, under, and on the table are a chest, a bird, a patera, a kylix, and an amphora. Below the scene is a krater tended by two Erotes, and below that is a group of acanthus leaves. The scene, which is of Greek origin, also occurred on a lost relief mirror found at Praeneste.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
12451
label
Mirror with a Banquet Scene
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
12451
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Mirror with a Banquet Scene
description
The mirror is cast as one piece with its handle. The handle ends with an animal’s head. The edge, which is thicker than the body, carries a pattern of diagonal lines. The front of the handle has a cast stalk pattern, ending in a palmette at the top. Above the palmette at the bottom of the mirror surface is an incised acanthus pattern. The back of the mirror has incised decoration. The incised scene shows four persons at a banquet. A flute girl sits at the foot of a table, playing. On the couch behind the table is a bearded, garlanded, older man holding a cup in his right hand, while his left arm is hooked around a thyrsis. A girl lies across his lap. At the head of the couch a younger man is seated, drinking from a cup. At the foot of the couch is an Ionic column. Around, under, and on the table are a chest, a bird, a patera, a kylix, and an amphora. Below the scene is a krater tended by two Erotes, and below that is a group of acanthus leaves. The scene, which is of Greek origin, also occurred on a lost relief mirror found at Praeneste.
provenance
[Said to be from Palestrina, found in the Cista Pasinati, 1864]. Alessandro Castellani, Rome, by 1883, [mode of acquisition unknown]; Sale, Collection Alessandro Castellani, Hotel Drouot, Paris, May 1884, p. 48, lot 426; Dikran Kelekian, Paris and New York, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1912, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
second half 4th century BCE (Hellenistic)
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
mirrors
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
31
height
16.3
dimensionsRaw
H: 12 3/16 × W: 6 7/16 in. (31 × 16.3 cm)
Source extras
cul
Etruscan
med
bronze
creator_ids
6291
collection_ids
none
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
d2c5262781a89fde
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
c5f3c794c0e2f1ff
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no