Reliquary with Contents

A dark, round stone reliquary with a carved rosette and leaf-pattern border on its lid sits among scattered objects. Nearby lie four dark disc-shaped coins bearing a horse-like motif, a gold cylinder, a small gold nugget, a clear crystal, a pearl, and a rough stone fragment.

Look closer: A small pink stone fragment lies near the bottom center, easily overlooked beside the pearl.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1st–3rd century

Medium

Schist with traces of gold leaf

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

3166 × 4000 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Samuel Eilenberg Collection, Gift of Samuel Eilenberg, 1987