3-037-540 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Cameo Glass Flask, 25 B.C.-A.D. 25. Additional Info: Cameo glass is primarily a product of the early Roman Empire and is specifically associated with the elite and royal of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Its manufacture is therefore mostly limited to the decades around 25 BC - AD 25 and it is rare; less than twenty pieces have survived in their entirety. The annexation of Egypt in 30 BC and the arrival in Rome in 10 BC of two obelisks from Heliopolis helped to develop a milieu in which the use of Egyptian motifs thrived, inspiring Roman artists to evoke the imagery and iconography of ancient Egypt. While it has been suggested that the scenes on this flask might represent specific gods, such as Amon-Re, Horus and Thoth, the meaningless hieroglyphs on the obelisk as well as the general obscurity of the iconography prevents a specific reading of the narrative.