Glass cinerary urn with lid

Glass cinerary urn with lid

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Urn: Translucent blue green; handles in same color. Everted rim, folded over and in, and smoothed into side of mouth; funnel-shaped neck; ovoid body; splayed hollow foot; almost flat bottom; two vertical, arched M-shaped handles, attached on opposite sides of upper body, each made of a thick trail, applied as a large circular pad, drawn across body from left to right, and trailed off back along top of handle. Intact; few bubbles, black streaks in handles; slight dulling, pitting, iridescence, and some limy encrustation on exterior, large patches of brilliant iridescent weathering on interior. Lid: Translucent blue green. Slightly outsplayed, downturned rounded rim, with beveled outer edge; outer side concave, then cone-shaped, extending into short, hollow cylindrical stem; circular knob at top with downturned projecting flange. Intact; a few pinprick bubbles; severe dulling and slight pitting on exterior, with brilliant iridescent weathering on edge of rim, creamy brown weathering and brilliant iridescence on interior. The lid fits snugly in the mouth on the upper side of neck. The pattern of weathering suggests that the lid sat upright on the urn. Plain blown glass.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.