Cinerary Urn thumbnail 1
Cinerary Urn thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Medieval & Renaissance, Room 8, The William and Eileen Ruddock Gallery

Cinerary Urn

late 1st century - 2nd century (made)
Place of origin

This glass container was a vessel for containing the ashes of a cremated body. Like many ancient peoples, the Romans believed in an afterlife that would be an idealised form of their worldly experience. For Christians and others, it was a family obligation to ensure that the grave of every deceased relative was furnished according to its means.


Object details

Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Cinerary Urn
  • Cover
Materials and techniques
Blown glass
Brief description
Cinerary / storage urn, Roman, probably Italy, 75-200 AD
Physical description
Bulbous blue glass urn with a lid.
Dimensions
  • Height: 32.0cm
  • Greatest width width: 21.5cm
Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries
Styles
Summary
This glass container was a vessel for containing the ashes of a cremated body. Like many ancient peoples, the Romans believed in an afterlife that would be an idealised form of their worldly experience. For Christians and others, it was a family obligation to ensure that the grave of every deceased relative was furnished according to its means.
Other number
8119 - Glass gallery number
Collection
Accession number
5210A-1901

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Record createdDecember 13, 1997
Record URL
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