Byzantine Plaque with an Allegorical Relief in the Walters Art Museum, September 2009

Plaque with Allegorical Relief


Creators: Byzantine (Artist) or Coptic (Artist)

Period: 5th-6th century (Late Antique)

Medium: hippopotamus ivory (Ivory & Bone)

Accession Number: 71.1113

Measurements: 4 1/16 x 9 1/16 in. (10.3 x 23 x 0.1 cm)

Geographies: Egypt (Place of Origin)

Carved from the widest part of a hippopotamus tooth, this panel was originally attached to a box or a piece of furniture. The figures have not been identified fully but may represent a river goddess in the center with, to the left, a male personification of a spring pouring water from his inverted vase. To the right, Helios, the sun god, drives his horse-drawn chariot and salutes another female deity.

Text from: art.thewalters.org/detail/16472/plaque-with-allegorical-r...