Glass cup
Unknown Artist
2nd–3rd century CE
Medium
Glass
Dimensions
H.: 1 15/16 in. (4.9 cm) Diam.: 3 1/4 x 1 9/16 in. (8.3 x 4 cm)
Classification
Glass
Culture & Period
Roman · Imperial
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1881
Accession Number
81.10.131
Art Historical Context
This delicate glass cup, crafted by an unknown Roman artisan in the 2nd–3rd century CE during the Imperial period, offers a glimpse into everyday elegance of the ancient world. Standing just under 2 inches tall with an oval rim measuring about 3¼ by 1½ inches, it was likely used for drinking wine, oils, or perfumes—common luxuries in Roman households. petite size suggests it was designed for personal use, portable and intimate, reflecting the empire's vast trade networks that distributed such wares from workshops in the eastern Mediterranean to Italy and beyond. Roman glassmaking reached new ...