Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Casket with Images of Cupids
(Byzantium and Early Russia)
This finely carved ivory casket is decorated with curly-haired "erotes" (cupids) in the guise of warriors, dancers, and musicians. The lid shows two in equestrian combat while the trapezoidal panel in front shows a group of four "erotes" and a centaur dancing and playing musical instruments. The rectangular plaque on the casket's front features an "eros" playing a harp on a stand, a chariot drawn by panthers, and two other "erotes" playing musical instruments.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Bought in Italy; Edward Joseph, London, ca. 1888, by purchase; Sale, Christie's, London, May 6, 1890, no. 1003 and February 1894, no. 357; Isaac Falcke, London, 1894, by purchase; Sale, Christie's, London, April 19, 1910, no. 166; Jacques Seligmann, Paris, 1910, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1910, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2014 | Seeing Music in Medieval Manuscripts. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 1983-1984 | Ivory: The Sumptuous Art. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1984 | The Taste of Maryland: Art Collecting in Maryland 1800-1934. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1947 | Early Christian and Byzantine Art. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Turkey, Istanbul (Constantinople) (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 4 15/16 x W: 7 5/16 x D: 5 5/16 in. (12.6 x 18.5 x 13.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1910
Location in Museum
Centre Street: Third Floor: Byzantine, Russian, and Ethiopian Icons
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
71.298