The body of this deluxe unguent container,
termed a balsamarium in Latin, consists of a
heroic nude bust of a sensuous young man. His
features are rendered in the classical, idealizing
idiom and are characterized by thin, bushy eye-
browns which merge at the root of the nose. His
small, almond-shaped eyes are framed by wide
lids, and the lips of his sensual mouth are both
small and fleshy. He is shown wearing a thick
necklace to which is attached a cylindrically-
shaped phylactery of a type which contained a
written prayer.
His head is turned slightly to his right. His hair is
styled in thick, horizontal bands of wavy locks,
the crown of which, separately made, serves as
the container’s lid; this is hinged to the back of
the vessel. The handle is designed as a foliate
central element which duck-headed finials at
each end set into oblique loops attached to the
top of the head. A central strut connects the
handle to the lid. A separately made pedestal, no
longer extant, probably served as pedestal to
support the balsamarium in an upright position.
Our balsamarium is an aesthetically
accomplished work of art and belongs to a type
which depicts a number of heroic nude youths,
traditionally identified as either divinities or
mortals. Our example has been identified as
Antinous, the favorite of the Roman Emperor
Hadrian. Antinous committed suicide by
drowning himself in the River Nile in order to
fulfill an oracle which had been unfavorable to
Hadrian.
References:
E. Kitzinger, Handbook of the Byzantine
Collection, Dumbarton Oaks (Washingto, D.C.,
1967), no. 99, for a related example; and J. Arce,
Los Bronces en Espãna (Madrid 1990), nos. 259-
262
