Getty Museum

Skyphos

Date

50–25 B.C.

Medium

Silver

Culture

Roman

Department

Vessels

Institution

Getty Museum

Four flying Cupids support a large continuous garland that wraps around this Roman silver skyphos, one of a pair of matching cups (see also[75.AM.55](http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/7229/unknown-maker-skyphos-roman-50-25-bc/)). The two cups are not identical, however, for the cupids on each differ slightly in their posture and placement. Wound with ribbons, the garland is rich with fruits, including pomegranates, grapes, olives, and pinecones. Birds perch on and hover over the garland, while various items hang from it: tympana (drums), cistae (wicker baskets), auloi (double pipes), and cymbals, all instruments associated with the cult of the wine-god Bacchus. Cupids carrying garlands and engaging in a wide range of other activities were a popular motif in Roman art of all media in the late first century B.C. and early first century A.D. Cupids, Bacchic scenes, and light mythological fare--themes appropriate for the pleasant gatherings at which they would be used--decorate many examples of Roman tableware. Two elements compose the cup: the outer casing with repoussé decoration and the inner liner, which includes the rim and handles. The silver's surface is very worn and broken through in places on the higher surfaces of the relief.

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