Cup Rim
Unknown Artist
6th–7th century
Medium
Ivory
Dimensions
Overall: 2 1/4 x 7/16 x 1/16 in. (5.7 x 1.1 x 0.1 cm)
Classification
Ivories
Culture
Coptic
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.92
Art Historical Context
This delicate ivory Cup Rim, crafted by an unknown artist in Coptic Egypt during the 6th–7th century, offers a glimpse into the refined artistry of early Christian North Africa. Measuring just 2 1/4 x 7/16 x 1/16 inches, this tiny fragment—likely from a luxurious chalice or vessel—exemplifies the precision of Coptic craftsmen during a time when Egypt bridged late antiquity and the early medieval world. Coptic culture, rooted in the fusion of Pharaonic traditions, Greco-Roman influences, and emerging Christianity, produced such objects for both ecclesiastical rituals and elite households, symbo...