This elegant Roman glass wine cup called a skyphos has a deep two-handled shape that was made by Greeks and Romans for hundreds of years. Most skyphoi (plural) were made of ceramic, bronze, or silver, but this Roman example is made of layered cameo glass. It’s molded to resemble cameo stone, which has natural layers of different colors. Cameo glass cups were fashionable in Rome from about 25 BCE–25 CE under the emperor Augustus and his adopted son Tiberius. They generally have a deep blue background with white figures standing out in low relief.

To make this cup, an artisan filled the areas of the mold that would become the raised figures with powdered white glass. When hot, semi liquid blue glass was added, and the white powder melted and fused with it. The handles and base were added separately. (The lost base of this cup was replaced in modern times.) 

Roman drinking cups were often decorated in pairs to encourage conversation, and guests were expected to understand references to myth, religion, and literature. Ariadne, the wife of Bacchus (Greek Dionysos), appears on both sides of the cup. When Bacchus first met Ariadne she was in despair, but he saved her and made her immortal. She sits surrounded by followers and attributes (symbols) of Bacchus in a leafy outdoor setting filled with wine and music. A statuette of the goddess Cybele is nearby. One theory about this image is that Ariadne is joining the “mystery” of each god, a special cult with an initiation through special rituals and secret objects. 

On one side of the cup Ariadne relaxes on a rocky seat with her arm thrown back in a gesture of calm or sleep. On her left a satyr, a half-human, half-goat or horse follower of Bacchus, holds musical pan pipes. On her right a woman extends a basket towards her, perhaps revealing a sacred object.

On the other side of the cup, Ariadne is seated on a pile of cut stones next to an altar, near a pillar topped with the statuette of Cybele. Facing her, a woman takes a drink from a wine cup, and between them a satyr strums a stringed lyre. Below each handle of the wine cup hangs a mask of Silenus, a companion of Bacchus with a snub nose and wide eyes. Models of masks were often hung in Roman gardens and likely offered protection. They reference Bacchus as god of theater and transformation.