"Phoenician-Cypriot" Patera

Called “Phoenician–Cypriot” by scholars, these thin metal paterae were made in eastern Mediterranean ateliers and traveled west as elite gifts and trade goods. This example shows concentric registers chased and engraved with lions, sphinxes, lotus–palmette chains, and rosettes around a raised central omphalos. The bowl’s light, ringing fabric and minute line work suggest ceremonial use—libations in sanctuaries or display in tombs—rather than everyday tableware. Found widely in Etruria, such bowls record how Levantine iconography and technique fed local taste and status display. It is both utensil and message: piety performed with prestige imports.