Cleveland Museum of Art

Canteen or Balsamarium

Date

50–250 CE

Medium

Bronze, cast

Culture

Roman

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

A utilitarian container, this nearly spherical cast bronze vessel survives in surprisingly good condition. Two goat heads on the shoulder, each with inlaid silver eyes, serve as decorative attachments, holding two hand-wrought linked chains – a shorter one to secure the stopper and a longer one for hanging or carrying the vessel. The round body of the vessel is nicely complemented by a decorative program of shallowly incised bands and concentric circles. The goat heads on the shoulder of this vessel each have inlaid silver eyes.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.