Object Title
Bronze balsamarium decorated with lion-skins and herms
Measurements
H. without handle: 3 in. (7.6 cm)
Creation Date
late 1st–early 2nd century A.D.
Credit Line
Gift of John J. Medveckis in honor of Emily Rafferty and in celebration of the Museum's 150th Anniversary, 2021
Museum Contact
provenance.research@metmuseum.org
Culture
Country of Origin
Object Type
Materials / Techniques
Object URL
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/257867
Museum's Definition of Antiquity
Created before the fall of the Roman Empire (476 AD)
Provenance Information
By the mid-1960s said to be in the collection of Kenneth John Hewett (1914-1994), London; 1995 – 2004, private collection; June 9, 2004, acquired by John Medveckis, purchased through Sotheby’s, New York (lot 49); 2004 – 2021, collection of John Medveckis, Philadelphia; acquired in 2021, gift of John Medveckis.
Exhibition Information
None
Publication Information
Sotheby's, New York. 2004. Egyptian, Classical, and Western Asiatic Antiquities. lot 49.
Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970
Gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008
Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above
The balsamarium has been on loan and on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art since 2007. Additionally, research has traced the object’s history back to the mid-1960s, when it is said to have been in the collection of Kenneth John Hewett (1914-1994). Numerous bronze balsamaria of comparable shape and technique have been found in Roman Gaul (present-day France), and it is thought that many were produced there. The closest comparison for iconography comes from San Giorgio, Trentino, in northern Italy (Claudia Braun, 2001, Römische Bronzebalsamarien mit Reliefdekor, p. 130 and pl. 47, cat. 43, Trento, Ufficio Beni Archeologici, acc. no. A.s.G. 113). However, the origin of ancient metalwork is difficult to trace, and bronze balsamaria have also been found in other areas of the Roman Empire, especially Germany, Romania, and Bulgaria.