Harvard Art Museums > 1978.495.200: Pilgrim Flask with Scenes of St. Menas Vessels Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Pilgrim Flask with Scenes of St. Menas , 1978.495.200,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 22, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/77733. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download 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 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 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. Related Articles Discovering the Future in the Middle Ages February 22, 2013 Related Works 2012.1.113 Pilgrim Flask with Scenes of St. Menas Vessels 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