Getty Museum

Offering Box (Arca) and Key

Date

about A.D. 130–180

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Gallo-Roman

Department

Vessels

Institution

Getty Museum

Resting on a base supported by lions' paws, this bronze arca or offering box takes the form of a miniature hexagonal structure. A roof composed of six curved sections surmounts the six joined panels forming the body. A cutting on the top of the roof served as a deposit slot, and traces on either side of this slot show that a statuette originally stood on the top of the offering box. In order to empty the box, a small door on one side opened with a key. This offering box was found in France in a hoard that also included a *Pair of Portrait Busts* ([89.AB.67][1]) and the *Statuette of Mars/Cobannus* ([96.AB.54][2]). [1]: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/103WH5 [2]: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/10402K

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