Gratefully built with ACNLPatternTool
Obsidian, a natural volcanic glass, was used by the Romans for sculpture, vessels, and—as here—decorative panels. The ivy and vine tendrils originally may have been filled with inlays in contrasting colors, as in the case of the obsidian cup with Egyptianizing ritual scenes found at Stabiae and now in the Archaeological Museum, Naples.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title: Obsidian revetment slab fragment
Period: Early Imperial
Date: 1st century CE
Culture: Roman
Medium: Obsidian; cut
Dimensions: Overall: 2 3/4 x 3 1/8 in. (7 x 7.9 cm)
Classification: Glass
Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Object Number: 17.194.2359
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
