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A finely carved figure of a seated boy holding a bunch of grapes, modeled in the round. He looks over his shoulder as if afraid someone might steal his fruit. His eyes were once inlaid with bits of glass. A number of bone or ivory knife handles of similar pattern exist showing boys holding birds. The circular base, chipped on one side, has a round hole underneath, and the figure is partially hollowed to receive a tang. A 4th-century date has been proposed based on comparisons with the hairstyles of 4th-century sculpture. But the ivory is said to have been found at ancient Hermopolis in Egypt with a collection of 2nd-century Roman silver now in the Antikenabteilung, Staaliche Museen, Berlin, and might therefore be earlier.The pose and subject are derived from Hellenistic sculpture.