Six-Sided Pyx in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, April 2010

Six-Sided Container, 200–300
Roman; Probably made in Gaul
Copper alloy with millefiore enamel
2 7/16 x 2 1/4 x 2 1/16 in. (6.2 x 5.7 x 5.3 cm)
Fletcher Fund, 1947 (47.100.7)

Small six-sided boxes such as this one, with millefiore enamel, have been found all over Europe, including Germany, Poland, and the Ukraine. In this technique, the artist fuses together glass rods of different colors. The multicolored rods are then cut into cross-sections, which are placed in a metal base and heated sufficiently for them to adhere. The result is intricate pattern of flowers and checkerboards.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/47.100.7