Fragmentary Cylindrical Box (Pyxis) with Revellers
| Culture | Roman |
|---|---|
| Title | Fragmentary Cylindrical Box (Pyxis) with Revellers |
| Date | 300–400 CE |
| Medium | Ivory |
| Dimensions | Object: 4 3/16 × 3 5/16 × 1 3/8 in. (10.6 × 8.4 × 3.5 cm) Overall: 4 3/16 × 3 5/16 × 1 3/8 in. (10.6 × 8.5 × 3.5 cm) |
| Credit Line | V. G. Simkhovitch Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 63.105.89 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
A cylindrical box with figures moving between a plain ground line below and an egg-and-dart pattern between two simple moldings above. There are six figures (an older man and a second person move away from the tree while three young men and a woman in a long gown step toward the right), a gnarly tree with a few short branches and a large vessel in front of it.
Ivory comes from elephant tusks and was a valuable commodity throughout the Near East and eastern Mediterranean. Along with bones from other large mammals, ivory was often used for small sculpture and sculptural reliefs. Although it is very dense and difficult to carve, it is capable of supporting fine details and high polish. Especially popular in the Roman and Byzantine eras, it was also used to make personal luxury items, such as combs and pins. This curved relief fragment is part of a box that was used to store jewelry or cosmetics.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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"Fragmentary Cylindrical Box (Pyxis) with Revellers | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=63.105.89