{
"data": {
"id": 160975,
"accession_number": "1999.231",
"share_license_status": "CC0",
"tombstone": "Pilgrim's Flask with Saint Menas, 400\u2013600 CE. Byzantine Empire, Abu Mena (Egypt). Terracotta; overall: 10 x 6.4 cm (3 15/16 x 2 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Bruce Ferrini in memory of Robert P. Bergman, 1999.231",
"current_location": "105 Byzantine",
"title": "Pilgrim's Flask with Saint Menas",
"creation_date": "400\u2013600 CE",
"creation_date_earliest": 400,
"creation_date_latest": 599,
"artists_tags": [],
"culture": [
"Byzantine Empire, Abu Mena (Egypt)"
],
"technique": "terracotta",
"support_materials": [],
"department": "Medieval Art",
"collection": "MED - Byzantine",
"type": "Ceramic",
"measurements": "Overall: 10 x 6.4 cm (3 15/16 x 2 1/2 in.)",
"dimensions": {
"overall": {
"height": 0.1,
"width": 0.064
}
},
"state_of_the_work": null,
"edition_of_the_work": null,
"copyright": null,
"inscriptions": [],
"exhibitions": {
"current": [
{
"id": 521317,
"title": "Africa & Byzantium",
"description": "Africa & Byzantium. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (November 14, 2023-March 3, 2024); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (co-organizer) (April 14-July 21, 2024).",
"opening_date": "2023-11-13T05:00:00"
}
],
"legacy": []
},
"provenance": [],
"find_spot": null,
"related_works": [],
"former_accession_numbers": [],
"did_you_know": null,
"description": "These flasks bear the image of Saint Menas, an early martyr of the Christian Church whose shrine was in the desert southwest of Alexandria in Egypt. These flasks were probably used by pilgrims to hold oil taken from the lamp that burned over this saint's tomb. Probably manufactured near the shrine, pilgrim's flasks often bear decorations hinting at their place of origin, as is the case here.",
"external_resources": {
"wikidata": [
"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60779094"
],
"internet_archive": [
"https://archive.org/details/clevelandart-1999.231-pilgrim-s-flask-with"
]
},
"citations": [
{
"citation": "Cleveland Museum of Art, \u201cCleveland Museum of Art Acquires Rare Chinese Paintings, Baroque Porcelain Plaque and Other New Acquisitions Exhibited with Hanging Scrolls,\u201d December 20, 1999, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.",
"page_number": null,
"url": "https://archive.org/details/cmapr4305"
},
{
"citation": "Gertsman, Elina and Barbara H. Rosenwein. The Middle Ages in 50 Objects. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018.",
"page_number": "Mentioned: p. 10-13; Reproduced: p. 11",
"url": null
},
{
"citation": "Achi, Andrea Myers, et al. Africa and Byzantium. New York : The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2023.",
"page_number": "Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 54-55, no. 15",
"url": ""
}
],
"url": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1999.231",
"images": {
"annotation": null,
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1999.231/1999.231_web.jpg",
"width": "755",
"height": "900",
"filesize": "198192",
"filename": "1999.231_web.jpg"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1999.231/1999.231_print.jpg",
"width": "2853",
"height": "3400",
"filesize": "1759455",
"filename": "1999.231_print.jpg"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1999.231/1999.231_full.tif",
"width": "7649",
"height": "9116",
"filesize": "209212992",
"filename": "1999.231_full.tif"
}
},
"alternate_images": [
{
"date_created": "2008-12-18T20:24:51",
"annotation": "",
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt0_web.jpg",
"width": "797",
"height": "893",
"filesize": "442118"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt0_print.jpg",
"width": "3034",
"height": "3400",
"filesize": "6544496"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt0_full.tif",
"width": "3485",
"height": "3906",
"filesize": "40871084"
}
},
{
"annotation": "",
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt1_web.jpg",
"width": "713",
"height": "893",
"filesize": "462614"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt1_print.jpg",
"width": "1536",
"height": "1923",
"filesize": "2300594"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt1_full.tif",
"width": "1536",
"height": "1923",
"filesize": "8864444"
}
},
{
"date_created": "2008-12-18T20:29:57",
"annotation": "",
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt2_web.jpg",
"width": "813",
"height": "900",
"filesize": ""
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt2_print.jpg",
"width": "3072",
"height": "3400",
"filesize": ""
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt2_full.tif",
"width": "3694",
"height": "4089",
"filesize": ""
}
},
{
"date_created": "2023-06-20T20:09:15",
"annotation": "",
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt3_web.jpg",
"width": "756",
"height": "900",
"filesize": "198849"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt3_print.jpg",
"width": "2856",
"height": "3400",
"filesize": "1754662"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt3_full.tif",
"width": "7649",
"height": "9106",
"filesize": "208983512"
}
},
{
"date_created": "2023-06-20T20:41:06",
"annotation": "",
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt4_web.jpg",
"width": "753",
"height": "900",
"filesize": "148766"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt4_print.jpg",
"width": "2846",
"height": "3400",
"filesize": "1026712"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt4_full.tif",
"width": "7649",
"height": "9138",
"filesize": "209716644"
}
},
{
"date_created": "2023-06-20T20:47:39",
"annotation": "",
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt5_web.jpg",
"width": "757",
"height": "900",
"filesize": "143949"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt5_print.jpg",
"width": "2861",
"height": "3400",
"filesize": "976865"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt5_full.tif",
"width": "7649",
"height": "9090",
"filesize": "208615220"
}
},
{
"date_created": "2023-06-20T20:54:45",
"annotation": "",
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt6_web.jpg",
"width": "900",
"height": "575",
"filesize": "147280"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt6_print.jpg",
"width": "3400",
"height": "2172",
"filesize": "935947"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt6_full.tif",
"width": "9799",
"height": "6261",
"filesize": "184081772"
}
},
{
"date_created": "2023-06-20T20:59:04",
"annotation": "",
"web": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt7_web.jpg",
"width": "900",
"height": "572",
"filesize": "147003"
},
"print": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt7_print.jpg",
"width": "3400",
"height": "2161",
"filesize": "961471"
},
"full": {
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/alternate/1999.231/1999.231_alt7_full.tif",
"width": "9799",
"height": "6228",
"filesize": "183111444"
}
}
],
"creditline": "Gift of Bruce Ferrini in memory of Robert P. Bergman",
"image_credit": null,
"sketchfab_id": null,
"sketchfab_url": null,
"gallery_donor_text": null,
"athena_id": 160975,
"creators": [],
"legal_status": "accessioned",
"accession_date": "1999-12-06T00:00:00",
"sortable_date": 400,
"date_added_to_oa": null,
"date_text": "400\u2013600 CE",
"collapse_artists": false,
"on_loan": false,
"recently_acquired": false,
"record_type": "object",
"conservation_statement": null,
"has_conservation_images": false,
"cover_accession_number": null,
"is_nazi_era_provenance": false,
"impression": null,
"alternate_titles": [],
"is_highlight": false,
"updated_at": "2026-03-27 00:04:52.209000"
}
}