Harvard Art Museums > 2012.1.54: Bone/Ivory Stylus Artists' Tools Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Bone/Ivory Stylus , 2012.1.54,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 22, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/178128. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2012.1.54 Title Bone/Ivory Stylus Classification Artists' Tools Work Type artist's tool Date 1st-4th century Period Roman Imperial period Culture Roman Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/178128 Physical Descriptions Medium Bone Technique Carved Dimensions 9.98 cm (3 15/16 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History The Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University (before 1970-2012), transfer; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2012. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University Accession Year 2012 Object Number 2012.1.54 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description Carved and polished bone stylus. The pointed end is conical; one side of the rounded end is flat. The shaft, round in section, has a raised ridge at approximately the spot where it would have been held for writing; it tapers toward each end. Commentary A stylus of this type would have been used to write on a Roman tablet; tablets were made of wood with a wax-covered surface. The wax surface made the tablet reusable, and the rounded end of the stylus could be used for "erasing" text. Publication History John Crawford, Sidney Goldstein, George M. A. Hanfmann, John Kroll, Judith Lerner, Miranda Marvin, Charlotte Moore, and Duane Roller, Objects of Ancient Daily Life. A Catalogue of the Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection Belonging to the Department of the Classics, Harvard University, ed. Jane Waldbaum, Department of the Classics (unpublished manuscript, 1970), BI21, p. 133 [J. A. Lerner] Exhibition History 32Q: 3620 University Study Gallery, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/28/2023 - 05/07/2023 Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
