Glass beaker with cut inscription

4th century CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 171
Translucent pale yellow green.

Uneven knocked-off rim with slight bulge below; ovoid body with convex side and round bottom.

On body, three registers of decoration: at top, a band comprising two thick horizontal wheel-abraded lines between which is a zigzag pattern with twenty-one upward triangles; around middle, a wheel-abraded inscription reading ΠΙΕ ΖΗCΗC; below, a narrower band comprising two thick horizontal wheel-abraded lines between which is a pattern of close-set diagonal lines.

Intact; pinprick bubbles; heavy pitting and brilliant iridescent weathering on exterior.

Around the cup is engraved a Greek inscription that reads: Drink so that you might live.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Glass beaker with cut inscription
  • Period: Late Imperial
  • Date: 4th century CE
  • Culture: Roman, Syrian
  • Medium: Glass; blown and cut
  • Dimensions: H.: 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm)
  • Classification: Glass
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Mary Anna Palmer Draper, 1915
  • Object Number: 15.43.152
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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