statuette

This statuette of Venus is a rare example of Roman miniature sculpture in glass. It was probably cast by the “lost wax” technique, a method first used for casting metal. The object was modeled in wax, encased in clay or plaster, and heated. The wax melted and was released through vents that had been attached to the object before it was encased. The clay or plaster dried and became a mold into which molten or powdered glass was introduced through the vents. If powdered glass was used, the mold was heated to fuse the contents. After cooling, the object was removed from the mold, annealed, and finished by cutting. The statuette is a version of the Aphrodite of Knidos, a Greek life-size marble sculpture of the third century B.C., which was frequently copied by Roman artists. The flesh-like color of the surface is a happy accident - the result of weathering. When it was new, the object was yellowish green.