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Balsamarium, which can be translated as
"ointment or balsam container", is a modern
functional term, more than a descriptive one,
reflecting the purpose for which this relatively
small vessel is thought to have been used.
Its most common use was probably as a
container for aromatic oils, though it is also
suited for storing and dispensing cosmetic liquids
and/or scented powdered substances.
Balsamaria were carried to the baths filled with
precious unguents and have often been
discovered together with bronze strigils, a type of
scrapers, further supporting the theory of their
function as containers for aromatic oils, as
applying oil and then scraping it off with a slightly
curved blade-like strigil was a common practice
of the bathing process. Balsamaria were
produced in the first three centuries of the Roman
Empire in a variety of forms, including busts and
animal shapes.
Although a number of balsamaria or bronze oil
vessels in the form of busts have survived to our
days, few among these small portable objects
bear resemblance to portraits that can still be
identifiable today. The present balsamarium
testifies to the power of imperial imagery and its
dissemination across the vast Imperium, as the
vessel portrays Antinous, Emperor Hadrian's
lover.
The general facial characteristics of our figure are
consistent with the stylistic portrait features of
the Late Antiquity and the personal features of
Antinous, here appearing with large almond-
shaped eyes, set into slightly upturned, incised
pupils.
Antinous was adored by Hadrian while in life and
was deified after his untimely death drowning in
the Nile. This deification led to an incredible
proliferation of his portraits, often adopting the
guise of youthful deities and rendered by the
artists of the time with a particularly languorous
beauty. During the last years of the reign of
Hadrian, and probably for a certain time
afterwards, a large number of such popular
artefacts were produced throughout the empire,
to meet an obvious demand.
Slight variations of the type occur as seen in
the example in the Rheinisches Landes
Museum in Bonn. Antinous is depicted
wearing a nebris, or animal skin tied to the
shoulder, another kind of draped garment,
or as in our case, nude. Ivy or grapes may
trail through his hair, yet he is above all
depicted with a superior and striking
beauty.
For further references see: Menzel, H. Die
Romischen Bronzen aus Deutschland, III,
Bonn, 1968.
- (LA.571)
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