Glass goblet with snake-thread decoration

Unknown

3rd century CE · Glass · Greek and Roman Art

Colorless; trails in opaque white and opaque brownish red, with one red trail starting in translucent greyish green. Slightly everted rim, folded over and in; body expanding downwards, then curving in sharply; solid, cylindrical stem. On body, four indents in side, making squarish shape; one horizontal white trail wound once around upper body; another horizontal white trail wound once around stem on undercurve; over indents on side, four separate snake-thread trails, alternately in white and red, but all in a similar abstract design, starting at left with a horizontal squiggle at top and ending in a long hooked loop at right. Broken with part of stem and all of foot missing, parts of top trail missing, and two internal cracks in side; many pinprick bubbles and blowing striations; slight dulling and iridescence on exterior, patches of thick creamy brown weathering on interior. Snake thread vase with foot; opaque threads.

Artist

Unknown

Date

3rd century CE

Medium

Glass

Culture

Roman

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917