inlay

Object NameHead

Made FromGlass

Date699-600 BCE (possibly later)

Place MadeEgypt

TechniqueCast, mosaic glass or millefiori technique

SizeOverall W: 20.3 cm, D: 12.5 cm

Accession Number55.1.63

Curatorial Area(s)

Ancient

Exhibitions

Glass from the Ancient World

Antikes Glas aus der Sammlung Ray Winfield Smith: Kurpfalzischen Museum Heidelberg

Antikes Glas aus der Sammlung Ray Winfield Smith

Verres Antiques de la Collection R.W. Smith

On ViewAncient Gallery

Physical DescriptionOpaque red glass with thick weathering crusts of green, brown and black, inlays of opaque white and opaque medium deep blue; cast and mosaic glass or millefiori technique. Single cast element of red glass now broken into three parts, head facing right, flat rectangular peg on top of inlay provided centering mechanism for a crown (not a wig) as determined by the arc shaped cut-out immediately above and behind the ear. Both eye and eyebrow have a medium deep blue glass backing inlaid with a trail of white, pupil and iris now missing, a break running from the back of the eyebrow down the back of the neck forming a gentle S-curve with the line of the neck, this roughly rectangular piece retains the ear modeled in high relief and set at an angle almost perpendicular to the vertical axis of the head; a second break runs along a gentle arc from the upper lip across the face, along which the thick weathering crust is broken away revealing the red glass beneath, this break divides the face roughly in half, below it the lower lip is badly cracked and weathered, the chin curves in and down to substantial wide but long neck with a roughly rectangular tang for centering insertion into a torso.
Provenance

Source Ray Winfield Smith (American, 1897-1982) - 1955-09-09