Canteen or Balsamarium

A utilitarian container, this nearly spherical cast bronze vessel survives in surprisingly good condition. Two goat heads on the shoulder, each with inlaid silver eyes, serve as decorative attachments, holding two hand-wrought linked chains – a shorter one to secure the stopper and a longer one for hanging or carrying the vessel. The round body of the vessel is nicely complemented by a decorative program of shallowly incised bands and concentric circles.