Ceramic box tile from a bath

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Artwork is in the public domain. Image courtesy of the Ruth and Elmer Museum of Art at Hamilton…
Ceramic box tile from a bath
Artwork is in the public domain. Image courtesy of the Ruth and Elmer Museum of Art at Hamilton College, Clinton, NY. Photo by Bryan Edwards, Class of 2019. For educational purposes only.
Artist/Maker
Date3rd century CE
MediumTerracotta
DimensionsOverall: 10.2 x 30.5 x 14.6 cm (4 x 12 x 5 3/4 in.)
Credit LineGift of Henry Dwight Williams, H1869
Object numberINV.778
On view
DescriptionThe Ancient Romans invented an innovative system of underfloor heating called a hypocaust. Ceramic box tiles, like this one, allowed heat to circulate beneath the floor and within the walls of a room, serving as an integral part of the hypocaust system. Its ends are open with square hole on long sides. Two leaves are etched on the top and bottom. This tile was excavated by the donor from current-day Baden Baden, Germany on April 15,1869.
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Additional Details

Exhibition History 2011
Clinton, NY. Fred L. Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College. "Learning to Look: Hamilton's Cabinets, Galleries and Museums Past, Present and Future," September 15 - December 16, 2011 (no cat.).
Provenance 1869: Hamilton College (Cabinet), by gift of Henry Dwight Williams, H'1869;
1869: excavated by Henry Dwight Williams.
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