Goblet
Unidentified (Roman Empire)
1st century AD
Medium
Decorative Arts
Classification
Decorative Arts
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly
Accession Number
1929.8.174.3
About this artwork
Ancient glass beguiled artists and connoisseurs with its rich colors and irregularities--signs of hand workmanship that distinguished these vessels from factory-made glass. For John Gellatly, such imperfections likely added to their value; these were favorites within his vast collection, objects that he allegedly "sat fingering late into the night," according to a reporter at the time of their donation to the Smithsonian Institution.