Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
Unable to open [object Object]: HTTP 0 attempting to load TileSource: https://ids.lib.harvard.edu/ids/iiif/17804137/info.json
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
This object does not yet have a description.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2012.1.128
Title
Pyxis
Classification
Vessels
Work Type
vessel
Date
1st-2nd century CE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe
Period
Roman Imperial period
Culture
Roman
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/191413

Location

Location
Level 3, Room 3620, University Study Gallery
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Bone
Technique
Carved
Dimensions
8.1 x 3.7 cm (3 3/16 x 1 7/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
[C. Dikran Kelekian Antiquities, New York] 1979, sold; to The Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University (1979-2012), 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
2012.1.128
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
Cylindrical bone pyxis with a lid attached by a bronze hinge and latch. Holes for a second, now lost, attachment are present on the opposite side. The exterior of the cylinder and lid is decorated with carved lines and raised bands. The top of the lid bears incised concentric circles and a carved spherical knob-handle.

Some chipping. The green discoloration is caused by the bronze hinge.

Commentary
A pyxis is a box used for storing toilet items including cosmetics. Typically cylindrical in shape, pyxides have a separate lid, often with a knob on the top.

These lidded cosmetic containers were made in a variety of materials including metals, glass, ivory, and wood. Bone, used for this pyxis, was considered a somewhat more modest material although the careful craftsmanship is evident in the well-formed knob and elaborate handle.

Publication History

  • Ioli Kalavrezou, Byzantine Women and Their World, exh. cat., Harvard University Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2003), no. 154, p. 261-62 [Jennifer Ledig Heuser].

Exhibition History

  • Roman Gallery Installation (long-term), Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/16/1999 - 01/20/2008
  • Byzantine Women and Their World, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 10/25/2002 - 04/28/2003
  • 32Q: 3620 University Study Gallery, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/22/2022 - 05/08/2022; Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/20/2024 - 05/05/2024

Subjects and Contexts

  • Roman Domestic Art

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