The Lycurgus Cup by Roman

The Lycurgus Cup by Roman, 4th Century

© British Museum

Details

Medium:

Glass Dimensions: 16.5 x 13.2cm

Art Fund grant:

£2,000 ( Total: £20,000)

Acquired in:

1958

Vendor:

Lord Rothschild

After angering the god Dionysus by driving him to the depths of the sea, Lycurgus attacked his maenads, one of whom - Ambrosia - was saved by Mother Earth, who transformed her into a vine. The scene shows Lycurgus struggling to escape from her clinging tendrils. Tiny amounts of colloidal gold and silver in the glass give it unusual properties; it appears opaque and pea-green in reflected light, but it becomes deep wine red if held up to the light. It was probably originally used as a lamp. It is the sole complete surviving example of this type of glass, technically known as dichroic.

Provenance

Rothschild family; J.J. Dubois.