Glass Beaker
Unknown Artist
late 6th–early 7th century
Medium
Glass
Dimensions
Overall: 4 3/16 x 2 5/16 in. (10.6 x 5.9 cm)
Classification
Glass-Vessels
Culture
Frankish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.194.129
Art Historical Context
This delicate glass beaker, crafted by an unknown Frankish artisan in the late 6th to early 7th century, a glimpse into the everyday elegance of Merovingian Europe. Standing just over 4 inches tall and 2 inches wide, it exemplifies the modest yet refined vessels used for drinking or serving in Frankish households. Produced during the reign of the Merovingian kings—who ruled much of what is now France Germany—this beaker reflects a cultural bridge between the fading Roman world and the emerging medieval era, where glass objects symbolized status and hospitality. Frankish glassmakers inherited ...