Bowl Base with the Portrait of a Young Man
Unknown Artist
300–500
Medium
Glass, gold leaf
Dimensions
Overall: Diam. 3 1/16 x 1/4 in. (7.7 x 0.6 cm)
Classification
Glass-Gold glass
Culture
Roman or Byzantine
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1918
Accession Number
18.145.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate *Bowl Base with the Portrait of a Young* is a exquisite survivor from the late Roman or early Byzantine era (300–500 CE), crafted as the base of a small glass vessel. Measuring just 3 1/16 inches in and a mere quarter-inch thick, it features a detailed gold leaf portrait of a youthful male figure, likely rendered in profile against a shimmering gold background. Produced using the rare gold glass technique—where a thin sheet of gold foil etched with the design was fused between two layers of blown glass—this object exemplifies luxury craftsmanship of Late Antiquity. Gold glass it...