Wine Cup with a Greek Inscription in the Getty Villa, July 2008

Title: Beaker with Inscription

Artist/Maker: Unknown

Date: 1st century A.D.

Medium: Glass

Dimensions: 7.8 × 7.3 cm (3 1/16 × 2 7/8 in.)

Place: Eastern Mediterranean (Place Created)

Culture: Roman

Object Number: 2004.35

Inscription(s): On one side: KATAXAIPE, and on the other side: KAI EY[phi]PAINOY ("Rejoice and be of good cheer").

Alternate Titles: Cup with a Greek Inscription, "Rejoice" (Alternate Title)

Department: Antiquities

Classification: Vessel

Object Type: Beaker


Made from greenish-transparent glass, this small beaker or cup features several decorative bands including a wreath pattern, and near the base, a row of chevrons. Below the wreath, an inscription in Greek suggests the beaker's festive function: "rejoice and be merry."

To create this beaker, the glassmaker used a three-piece mold. Because the seam of the mold was not completely tight, some of the molten glass seeped out of the mold. As was common practice, the glassmaker incorporated the mold mark into the design in order to better conceal it. The Romans introduced the technique of inflating glass into molds in the early first century A.D. and this technique has been used continuously in glassmaking centers around the Mediterranean.


Text from: www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/109628