Bronze neck-amphora (jar) with lid and bail handle

Bronze neck-amphora (jar) with lid and bail handle

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Metal vases are far more rare than their ceramic counterparts because fewer were made and because the metal deteriorated or was melted down. Only about half a dozen complete bronze neck-amphorae are known. The side handles served for pouring, the swinging bail for lifting and carrying. The embellishment here is particularly masterful—not only the Gorgon's heads beneath the handles but also the beading, tongues, and lotos buds on the foot, lip, and handles.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bronze neck-amphora (jar) with lid and bail handleBronze neck-amphora (jar) with lid and bail handleBronze neck-amphora (jar) with lid and bail handleBronze neck-amphora (jar) with lid and bail handleBronze neck-amphora (jar) with lid and bail handle

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.