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Catalog No. 1132
Pottery, etched, 0.5L, inlaid lid.
Text (Latin):
“O tempora, o mores!”
(Oh the times, oh the customs!)
The text on the lid inlay is a phrase first uttered by the Roman orator Cicero in 70 B.C. deploring the condition of the Roman republic. However, in this case both the text and the imagery were intended as a criticism of British colonial adventuring in Egypt during the second half of the 19th century, and are taken from a song entitled Ein Lustiger Musikante (A Funny Musician). Written in in 1840 by Emanuel Geibel, it tells the tale of a pyramid-destroying encounter on the Nile between a musician and a crocodile.
Price Range: $250-$350
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