Bulletin du Musée National de Varsovie (7.1966)

Elżbieta Rodziewicz

LATE ANTIQUE IVORY AND BONE PLAQUETTES IN THE NATIONAL

MUSEUM IN WARSAW

There are several late antiąue ivory and bone placruettes in the Department of Egyptian,
Greek and Roman Antiąuities in the National Museum in Warsaw. They are typical examples
onginatingfrom Alexandrianworkshopsof thcfourthand fifth centuries.Two placpiettes decorated
with relief sculpture, and one engraved with traces of polychromy are the most remarkable.
The plaąuette representing a Nereid riding a hippocamp is the most popular cxample of the
typical Alexandrian hone or ivory relief; it served probably as an appliąue on a wooden jewel
casket1 (fig. 1). Such a rectangular casket with a trapezoidal cover was reconstructed by Kate
Elderkin in 1926 with a set of bone appliques, analogous to our, whieh are kept at the Princeton
University Art Museum2. Another wooden casket of a similar shape and also decorated with
bone appliąues is at the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore3. Still another is at the British Museum4.
Ali of them originate from Alexandrian workshops of the fourth to the sixth centuries. There

1. Inv.: 148741; 0.072 m. high, 0.103 m. wide. Cf. E. Rodziewicz, „Aleksandryjska plakietka z kości z przedstawieniem
Nereidy", Rocznik Muzeum Narodowego w Warszawie, IX, Warszawa, 1965, p. 119 — 130 fig. 1.

2. K. Elderskin,"An Alexandrian carved casket of the fourth century",^merican Journal of Archneology-.Z1), 1926,p.l 50 ff. ,f ig.6-
3- M. C. Ross, Early Ch riszian and Byzaniim Art, Thc Baltimore Museum o;* Art, Ba";imorc, 1947 xabl. XVIII, No 181.
4. Department of Mediaeval Art; Lnv.: No 45/5555.