Glass cylindrical beaker
An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art
Translucent deep turquoise blue. Plain, vertical rim; vertical but slightly convex sides, with rounded edge to flat bottom. On exterior, immediately below rim a raised horizontal line flanked by a groove above and below, another raised horizontal line flanked by two grooves at bottom of side; and a broader raised concentric circle flanked by two grooves on bottom . Intact; pinprick bubbles; dulling, deep pitting, and patches of iridescence and creamy brown weathering. Rotary grinding marks on exterior and interior. These cups and bowls represent the class of brightly colored translucent wares that dominated the repertoire of Roman cast glass until they were superseded by vessels made in colorless glass. Unlike mosaic glass, which was made primarily in the Syro-Palestinian region, most translucent monochrome vessels were probably made in Italian workshops and are found mainly in archaeological sites in Italy and the western provinces. However, the popularity of such lightly colored vessels was short-lived, spanning the four decades of the mid-first century between about 30 and 70 A.D. Because of this limited production, the group is noticeably homogeneous, whereas greater variety in shape and palette can be seen in their mosaic counterparts (1972.118.185; 13.198.1-.3). The principal colors for this class of cast glasses are deep amber, green or blue, bright turquoise blue, and a manganese purple. The carinated profile was formed by casting a blank of glass between two molds, followed by lathe polishing and cutting on the interior and exterior to create the desired final shape.
Greek and Roman Art
An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.