Glass cup
Unknown Artist
1st century CE
Medium
Glass
Dimensions
2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm) Diameter: 3 1/4 × 3 1/16 in. (8.3 × 7.8 cm)
Classification
Glass
Culture & Period
Roman · Early Imperial
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76
Accession Number
74.51.5708
Art Historical Context
This delicate glass cup, crafted by an unknown Roman artisan in the 1st CE during the Early Imperial period, the everyday elegance of ancient Roman life. Standing just 2½ inches tall with a diameter of about 3¼ inches, its petite size suggests it was designed for personal use—perhaps for sipping wine or scented oils at a symposium or intimate gathering. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Greek Roman Art Department, it the collection through the Cesnola Collection, acquired by public subscription in 1874–76 from excavations on Cyprus, a key Roman province. Roman glassmaking reached new...