ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art
Conical Cup
CultureGreek
PeriodHellenistic
Date2nd Century BCE
MediumGlass
Credit LineGift of James E. and Elizabeth J. Ferrell
Dimensions4 3/4 x 6 1/8 x 6 in. (12.1 x 15.6 x 15.2 cm)
Object number2014.028.011
Label TextParabolic cup with rounded rim and convex bottom. On interior, two horizontal grooves are cut in a band below the rim, and another two around the middleof the cup. Translucent pale blue glass. Parabolic cups made of precious metal, glass and ceramic were popular in the late Hellenistic period. They are are often referred to as mastoi (singular, mastos) due to their breast-like shape. Glass versions were especially common in the eastern Mediterranean where they were used at elite banquets. The impractical shape meant these drinking-cups could not be set down while full, necessitating the presence of cup-bearers, who would have been enslaved, or requiring that diners finished their wine first.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, November 17, 2014 - March 14, 2023
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, May 2, 2023 - Present
ProvenanceEx coll. James and Elizabeth Ferrell, United States, purchased ca. 1996-2005.
Status
On viewCollections
- Greek and Roman Art
late 2nd Century BCE
20th Century
ca. 300-290 BCE
ca. 300-290 BCE
15th Century
3rd Century BCE
20th Century
late 19th-mid 20th Century
