Harvard Art Museums > 1992.256.112: Scoop Probe Tools and Equipment Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Scoop Probe , 1992.256.112,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 24, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/304634. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1992.256.112 Title Scoop Probe Other Titles Alternate Title: Instrument Classification Tools and Equipment Work Type instrument Date 1st-5th century CE Places Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World Period Roman Imperial period Culture Roman Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/304634 Physical Descriptions Medium Copper alloy Technique Cast, lost-wax process Dimensions 11.4 cm (4 1/2 in.) Technical Details Technical Observations: The patina is black and green. The scoop end is broken off, while the rounded end is preserved. The handle was made by casting with some finishing after casting. Carol Snow (submitted 2002) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Louise M. and George E. Bates, Camden, ME (by 1971-1992), gift; to the Harvard University Art Museums, 1992. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Louise M. and George E. Bates Accession Year 1992 Object Number 1992.256.112 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 Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums The straight, smooth shaft has an ovoid-shaped probe on one end and is broken off at the other. Ring collars surround a decorative bead just before the break. Covered with a smooth, deep-brown colored patina, it is in good and stable condition. Greek and Roman medical instruments, many of which were described by ancient authors, have been found, sometimes in sets, throughout the ancient world (1). The instruments could have been used for more than one function, making precise classification difficult in some instances. Scoop probes could be used for stirring and applying medicines, cleaning ears or other, including cosmetic, uses (2). NOTES: 1. J. S. Milne, Surgical Instruments in Greek and Roman Times (Oxford, 1907) 1-9; and D. Michaelides, “A Roman Surgeon’s Tomb from Nea Paphos,” Report of the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus, 1984: 315-32, esp. 321-23. 2. Milne 1907 (supra 1) 61-68; Michaelides 1984 (supra 1) 325-36; R. Jackson and S. La Niece, “A Set of Roman Medical Instruments from Italy,” Britannia 17 (1986): 119-67, esp. 157-58. David Smart Subjects and Contexts Roman Domestic Art Ancient Bronzes Related Works 1935.41 Scoop Probe Tools and Equipment 1964.12.35.B Scoop Probe Tools and Equipment 1964.12.35.A Scoop Probe Tools and Equipment 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
