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Mosaic Glass Apis Bull Caesarea Maritima

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v-drome:
Hi, all.  Here is a beautiful piece of mosaic glass
from Caesarea Maritima.  Any information would
be appreciated.

BCC CG33
Mosaic Glass - Apis Bull
Uncertain date
Obv: Apis Bull with Mushroom?
and Egyptian crown.
Surface find from the beach near
Caesarea Maritima, 1973.
1.8cm. in length.  3 pieces found in
close proximity. Top surface is slightly
convex, lower surface flat and slightly
less polished.  The object has been severely
eroded, possibly due to exposure to slightly
acidic rainfall.  Comments on the type and
age are certainly welcome.  Small coins
from 1st-2nd century CE, Alexandria, as well as
minimae with Alexandrian types, were commonly
found at Caesarea.

(click for larger pic)

Molinari:
Looks distinctly like a human eye and nose.  This is a fascinating piece—is it yours?

v-drome:
Hi Molinari.  Here is another photo.  I think the "nose" may be a pit left from the dissolving minerals in the glass.  I found some very close parallels searching for Apis Bull, Egyptian mosaic glass inlay.  This is part of my father's collection of surface finds from the beach near Caesarea in the 1960's and 1970's.

Best regards, Jimi

Kamnaskires:
You probably came across these examples already, v-drome:

Very similar example at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: https://www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-15465744/
(Too bad about the VMFA graphics overlay)

Somewhat similar at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: https://www.mfa.org/collections/object/inlay-of-an-apis-bull-164316

Others - related, it seems, although not as similar as the VMFA example above:
https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21925/lot/269/

https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/an-egyptian-glass-inlay-ptolemaic-period--5425321-details.aspx


Here's a side-by-side of the OP example with the VMFA one, from their search page (without the graphics on top)...I could certainly believe these are from the same ancient workshop.

v-drome:
Thank you, Robert.  Those are beautiful examples.  I have not yet found any reference to help identify the object in front of the bull.  Is this a mushroom or perhaps some kind of plant?  It seems that whatever was used for the black in the design was dissolved away, over time.  It must have been very beautiful when it was new!

Regards, Jimi

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