English
Silk Road Collection
Glass

Mosaic inlay with mask of Maenad and Silenus (3pcs.)

  • Egypt
  • 1st century BC -1st century AD
  • glass
  • H3.8cm (Max)

In these human face mosaics, pieces of colored glass were combined to create a mosaic that represents half of the face, and fragments were arranged to create the rest of the face.The woman wearing a wreath of ivy leaves is a Maenad, a follower of the Greek god Dionysus (who is also known as Bacchus, the god of wine and theater). The man with a green background is Silenus, an old man who is half man, half horse. These mosaics are considered to represent masks worn in Greek theater which was popular in Alexandria during the Hellenistic period.