Silver-gilt phiale (libation bowl)

1st century BCE–1st century CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 163
The origins of this type of phiale lie in Achaemenid Persia. In the Hellenistic period, there was a complicated interaction of Greek and Achaemenid forms of phiale. The gilding on this piece was applied with mercury. The use of mercury gilding is first attested in the first century B.C.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Silver-gilt phiale (libation bowl)
  • Period: Late Hellenistic or Early Imperial
  • Date: 1st century BCE–1st century CE
  • Culture: East Greek or Parthian
  • Medium: Silver
  • Dimensions: Diam.: 4 1/16 in. (10.3 cm)
  • Classification: Gold and Silver
  • Credit Line: Gift of Norbert Schimmel Trust, 1989
  • Object Number: 1989.281.65
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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