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Ancient Mediterranean Art

The Museum’s collection of objects from the Ancient Mediterranean—including Egypt, Greece, and Rome—is celebrated for its size, quality, and relative rarity as a stellar collegiate collection. It was formed through donations and key purchases in the early years of the Museum, especially during the first decades of the 20th century. Gifts from the American Exploration Society and Egypt Exploration Fund greatly contributed to the contents of the Egyptian collection, and the establishment of the Nancy Everett Dwight Fund in the 1920s was instrumental in expanding the Museum’s ancient holdings. In recent years transformative acquisitions have been made, such as the portrait head of the Empress Faustina the Elder in 1999 and a bronze lar in 2013. Other highlights of the collection include a New Kingdom block statue of a scribe named Amunwahsu, four fragments of a wall painting from Pompeii, and a Classical Greek skyphos by the Theseus painter from around 500 BCE.

Block statue of the scribe Amunwahsu, 1386-1278 BCE (New Kingdom, late Dynasty 18-early Dynasty 19) Unknown Egyptian Limestone and plaster, originally painted
Roman, Brooch with cameo portrait of woman
Brooch with cameo portrait of a woman, 3rd century CE Unknown Roman Gold and shell
Bust of Isis, 2nd century CE (Hadrianic period, 117-138 CE) Unknown Roman Hollow-cast bronze
Cinerary urn with scenes from Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes, 2nd century BCE Unknown Etruscan Ceramic; Earthenware with plaster and pigment
Column krater, Classical Period; 450-440 BCE Eupolis Painter Greek Ceramic; earthenware (red-figure ware)
Decorative mount from a bed with a bust of Silenus, late 2nd century CE Unknown Roman Cast bronze
Roman, Floor mosaic with a head encircled by a garland
Fragment of a floor mosaic, late 1st century-early 2nd century CE Unknown Roman Stone
Fragment of a wall painting with Bacchus, mid 1st century CE Unknown Roman Fresco
Head of a woman, possibly Aphrodite, Hellenistic Period; 3rd-1st century BCE Unknown Greek Parian marble
Horse, Iron Age; Greek Dark Ages; Geometric Period; Late 8th century BCE Unknown Greek Bronze
Greek, kylix showing a youth with lyre
Kylix showing a youth with lyre, Classical Period; ca. 430 BCE Unknown Greek Ceramic; earthenware (red-figure ware)
Lar holding an offering bowl (patera) and cornucopia, 1st-2nd century CE Unknown Roman; Imperial Bronze
Mold-blown bottle, early 1st century CE Unknown Roman; Syro-Palestinian; Hebron Molded opaque white glass
Mold-blown bottle with ribbed handle and rolled rim, 3rd century CE Unknown Roman Mold-blown glass
Nolan amphora with mythological figures, Classical Period; 450-440 BCE Polygnotos, attributed to Greek Ceramic; earthenware (red-figure ware)
Oil flask (alabastron), 10 BCE-25 CE Unknown Roman Blown glass
Oinochoe, Archaic Period; ca. 625-600 BCE Unknown Greek Ceramic; earthenware
Portrait of Faustina the Elder, second half of the 2nd century CE Unknown Roman; Imperial Marble
Pyxis, Classical Period; 470-460 BCE Veii Painter; Penthesilea Workshop Greek; Attic Ceramic; earthenware (red-figure ware)
Greek, Ribbon-handled bowl with a mourning ritual
Ribbon-handled bowl with a mourning ritual, Iron Age; Greek Dark Ages; Geometric Period; 735-720 BCE Unknown Greek; Attic Ceramic; earthenware
Shoulder hydria, Archaic Period; 525-500 BCE Eye-Siren Painter, Circle of Antimenes Greek Ceramic; earthenware (black-figure ware)
Theseus Painter, Skyphos with Herakles, Athena, and Hermes
Skyphos with Herakles, Athena, and Hermes, Archaic Period; ca. 500 BCE Theseus Painter Greek Ceramic; earthenware (black-figure ware)
Statuette of a youth (probably Apollo), Classical Period; ca. 470 BCE Unknown Greek Bronze; cast and incised
Stela fragment showing the god Ptah and a cobra goddess, perhaps Renenutet, 1293-1070 BCE (New Kingdom, Dynasties 19-20) Unknown Egyptian Limestone