ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art
Intaglio Gem Depicting a Wine Vessel (Calyx Krater)
CultureRoman
PeriodImperial
Date1st Century CE
Credit LineGift of the Estate of Michael J. Shubin
Dimensions7/16 x 5/16 x 1/8 in. (1.2 x 0.9 x 0.4 cm)
Object number2012.032.162
Label TextThe calyx krater, here with ribbed bowl and wreathed neck, was used during the symposion (an all-male drinking party) to mix wine with water, as was the Greek convention. Often deployed in poetry and art as a symbol of the symposion, the krater embodied the mingling and mobility of social, sexual, and cultural states, and the dissolution of boundaries that the banquet licensed. The motif perhaps suggests that adornment with gems offered the same opportunity for re-mixing identity and status.Exhibition HistoryMaking an Impression: The Art and Craft of Ancient Engraved Gemstones, Michael C. Carlos Museum, August 27 - November 27, 2022
ProvenanceEx coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California.
Status
Not on viewCollections
- Greek and Roman Art
ca. 540 BCE
late 1st Century BCE
late 1st Century BCE-early 1st Century CE
20th Century
1st Century BCE
1st Century CE
1st Century BCE
2nd Century BCE
