Glass Bowl Base

This object is a fragment from a bowl base. It is from the Byzantine empire or the Roman. While hard to pin down its location due to similar artstyles and the moving of the Roman capital, we do know the bowl is from around the 4th century. The bowl is also made of glass and she was painted with gold leaf. As you can see, it has a portrait of a woman printed on it. Her clothing is elegant, and it appears she has a scroll. While we cannot see the full picture, we can tell she was likely noble.¹

As with the other objects listed on this site, it is not possible to tell exactly what kind of cloth her clothing is made of. However, given that we have a general area and a rough time period, we can take an estimate given what is known about trade in the area and popular fashions. According to Byzantine Dress; A Guide, “By the fourth century… a fulllength, long-sleeved tunic woven to shape on the loom”² was in fashion. The garment was loose fitting, but was often cinched under the breasts to appear more flattering, though for lower class women was utilitarian. “In the fourth and fifth centuries, women, especially upper-class women, often wore an outer tunic with ample sleeves, sometimes long, sometimes short, over an under tunic, with long, narrow sleeves,” which was considered modest, yet still enticing.³ This appears similar to what the woman on the shard is wearing, even if we do not have an exact location still due to the blending of the cultures. The woman also may have been married, as by the 6th century having hair up was considered proper for women. However, we cannot know for certain, though her jewlery also ties into that narrative.

Details

This jewlery is part of the intricate details of her outfit. She is clearly wearing large earrings, something that in the 6th century would be used to emphasise her neck. Because she is uncovered we can also presume this woman is at home, rather than outside if she is indeed Byzantinian. Many Byzantinian women wore something called a palla, which was a “long rectangular cloth panel that could be draped around the torso in a variety of ways and, when needed, also used to cover the head,”⁴ though this can also be attirbuted to this artwork being from earlier. It is unclear if this type of veiling began in the 6th century or before, as women were underrepressented in many works. There also appears to be what looks like roundels on her clothing, which suggests some Persian influence. However, there is not enough detail to be positive. What is certain, is her clothing is clearly that of a noble woman, and the painting in gold also suggests this.

Bibliography

• Ball, Jennifer. Byzantine Dress: A Guide. Taylor & Francis, 2024.
• Fragmentary Bowl Base with the Portrait of a Woman. 400AD. Glass, Goldleaf. The Met Fifth Avenue. Gallery 300. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/465928.