1978.495.200: Pilgrim Flask with Scenes of St. Menas
Vessels
This object does not yet have a description.
Identification and Creation
- Object Number
- 1978.495.200
- Title
- Pilgrim Flask with Scenes of St. Menas
- Other Titles
- Former Title: Pilgrim Flask
- Classification
- Vessels
- Work Type
- vessel
- Date
- 4th-7th century
- Period
- Byzantine period, Early
- Culture
- Byzantine
- Persistent Link
- https://hvrd.art/o/77733
Physical Descriptions
- Medium
- Terracotta
- Technique
- Mold-made
- Dimensions
- 8.5 x 6.8 x 2.3 cm (3 3/8 x 2 11/16 x 7/8 in.)
Provenance
- Recorded Ownership History
- Transfer from the Peabody Museum, Jan. 10, 1978.
Acquisition and Rights
- Credit Line
- Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University
- Accession Year
- 1978
- Object Number
- 1978.495.200
- Division
- Asian and Mediterranean Art
- Contact
- am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
- Permissions
-
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Descriptions
- Commentary
- Flasks bearing images of Saint Menas are not uncommon in Egypt. Menas was a Roman soldier who was martyred; veneration of him as a saint centered on an oasis near Alexandria. On better-preserved ampullae bearing the same scene, the details of Menas' clothing (tunic, boots, and cloak, perhaps in the style of the later Roman military) are much clearer; the border type varies between the dot/stud motif and chevrons. Some examples bear inscriptions or depictions of crosses above the saint's arms.
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Verification Level
This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or 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