Cover in the form of a Fish

Object Name: 
Cover in the form of a Fish

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Object Name: 
Cover in the form of a Fish
Place Made: 
Roman Empire
probably Italy
Accession Number: 
67.1.1
Dimensions: 
Overall L: 33.7 cm, W (without dorsal fin): 9.2 cm
Location: 
Not on Display
Date: 
1-99
Web Description: 
Roman glassmakers sometimes produced objects in unexpected and highly original forms. This unique fish was cast in a mold. The upper surface was polished and wheel-cut with realistic (and anatomically correct) details, including the mouth, eye, gills, and fins. The underside is hollow, and the only “details” consist of groups of parallel cuts on the fins and tail. Clearly, only the upper surface was meant to be seen, and it is assumed that the object was a lid - the cover of a dish for serving fish. One lifted the glass fish (the cuts on the underside of the fins and tail would have made a firm grip possible) and found the real fish (about the size of a trout) resting on the dish.

More Info

Department: 
Ancient
Provenance: 
Hecht, Robert E. (American, 1919-2012), Source
1967-02-06
Category: 
Origins of Glassmaking
Roman
Color: 
blue
Technique: 
cutting
casting
polishing
Material: 
glass

Description

Primary Description: 
Translucent dark blue glass; cast, wheel-cut and polished. Narrow oval dish or cover in form of fish, with four projections from rim, cut in form of dorsal, caudal and anal fins, and tail; interior hollow; exterior has rounded contours of fish, except at highest point, which is flat; anatomical details indicated by incisions and cutting in low relief: mouth, eye, cheek, operculum, pectoral fin and rear part of lateral line; details on head shown in relief, pectoral fins indicated by long incised lines, lateral line by row of notches; exterior surfaces of fins and tail plain, interior surfaces have incised lines indicating spiny components.

Exhibitions (5)

Poseidon and the Sea: Myth, Cult, and Daily Life
Venue(s)
Joslyn Art Museum 2014-02-08 through 2014-05-11
Tampa Museum of Art 2014-06-14 through 2014-11-30
Hood Museum of Art 2015-01-17 through 2015-03-15
The realm of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, encompassed virtually every aspect of life in the ancient Mediterranean world, from mythology and cult to daily activities. Each of these three domains will be explored in the exhibition, which will be the first of its type anywhere. The exhibition will offer an intimate look at the timeliness, beauty and wonder of marine life sure to resonate with lay visitors of all ages. All of the CMoG objects would be displayed in the final section of the exhibition, showing the influence of the sea in ancient art and life.
The Fragile Art: Extraordinary Objects from The Corning Museum of Glass
Venue(s)
Park Avenue Armory 2009-01-23 through 2009-02-01
The 55th Annual Winter Antiques Show
 
Treasures from The Corning Museum of Glass
Venue(s)
Yokohama Museum of Art 1992-10-12 through 1992-12-13
The Art of Glass: Masterpieces from The Corning Museum of Glass
Venue(s)
IBM Gallery 1989-12-12 through 1990-02-02
National Gallery of Art 1990-12-09 through 1991-04-14
Decorative and utilitarian works from the Corning Museum of Glass, surveying 35 centuries of glass-making technology and stylistic developments from ancient Egyptian, Roman, Islamic, and Asian cultures to contemporary American and European examples. The works were selected by Corning Museum staff members Dwight P. Lanmon, director and curator of European glass; David B. Whitehouse, curator of ancient and Islamic glass; Jane Shadel Spillman, curator of American glass; and Susanne K. Frantz, curator of 20th-century glass.
 
Glass of the Caesars
Venue(s)
British Museum 1987-11-18 through 1988-03-06
Romisch-Germanisches Museum 1988-04-15 through 1988-10-18
Musei Capitolini 1988-11-03 through 1989-01-31
Corning Museum of Glass

Publications (30)

Poseidon and the Sea (2014) illustrated, p. 152, Fig. 76; BIB# 134837
Escort Guide to the Galleries (2013) illustrated, p. 11, bottom; BIB# 134015
Escort Guide to the Galleries [V4/2013] (2013) illustrated, p. 10, bottom; BIB# 134856
Chemical Analyses of Early Glasses (Volume 3) (2012) pp. 410, 682; BIB# 61154
Ancient glass for the modern collector (2011-04) illustrated, p. 37; BIB# AI81693
Glass, Knocking at the Door of Art (2010) illustrated, pp. 26-27; BIB# 115616
The Corning Museum of Glass (2009-03) illustrated, p. 10; BIB# AI98465
Corning Museum of Glass (2009-01) illustrated, p. 5, p. 24 (back cover); BIB# 109342
55th Winter Antiques Show, A Benefit for East Side House Settlement (2009) illustrated, pp. 140-141; BIB# 29139
55th Annual Winter Antiques Show (2008-12) illustrated, fourth fold;
Museum News (2008) illustrated, p. 2; BIB# AI91334
Antikes Glas (Handbuch der Archaologie) (2004) illustrated, p. 186 (Taf. 172); BIB# 83444
The Other Side of the Looking Glass. The Glass Body and Its Metaphors (2003) illustrated, p. 4; BIB# 77986
Plastik sanatlarda cam malzemenin uygulanisi (2003) illustrated, p. 18, fig. 2.3, row 2, #1; BIB# 120381
Richards Complete Bible Dictionary (2002) illustrated, p. 385 (bottom); BIB# 73428
The Corning Museum of Glass, A Guide to the Collections (2001) (2001) illustrated, p. 23; BIB# 68214
Treasures from The Corning Museum of Glass: Checklist of the Exhibition (1999) illustrated, p. 14; BIB# 63967
New Glass Review, 20 (1999) illustrated, p. 7;
Chemical Analyses of Early Glasses (Volume 1) (1999) pp. 80, 249, 251; BIB# 61154
Roman Glass in The Corning Museum of Glass, Volume One (1997) p. 18, #4; p. 324, #4; BIB# 58895
Treasures from The Corning Museum of Glass (1992) illustrated, p. 19, #9; p. 246; BIB# 35679
La Cuisine Romaine Antique (1992) illustrated, p. 176, fig. 221;
Arts Walk, Crystal Country (1991) pp. 42-47, ill., p. 42;
The Revell Bible dictionary (1990) illustrated, p. 385 (bottom); BIB# 65501
Glass to Dazzle a Caesar (1989) illustrated, p. 12;
Glass Animals: 3,500 Years of Artistry and Design (1988) illustrated, p. 25  (top); BIB# 32200
Glass Of The Roman Empire (1988) illustrated, pp. 12-13, fig. 2; pp. 6, 9; BIB# 32608
Glass of the Caesars (1987) illustrated, p. 49, #25; BIB# 31831
Roman Glass in The Corning Museum of Glass (postcards) (1987) illustrated, #5; BIB# 34348
Recent Important Acquisitions, 10 (1968) illustrated, pp. 180-181, #5; BIB# AI97755