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Miniature Faience Capital
Egypt, 2nd century B.C.
H. 7.6 cm (3")
92.483
This capital in the form of an open floral calyx is glazed in bright hues
of gold, green, turquoise, and brown. Its decoration is the Alexandrian
variant of the Greek Corinthian capital. Introduced in Ptolemaic times,
it was meant to replace the lotus leaf capital used in pharaonic monumental
architecture. The two-tiered base has a smooth underside, which suggests
that this capital did not top a column but was made as a distinct object.
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