#Cheirisophos

[philomaela]

Xenophon: Don't you know how to steal, Cheirisophos? You're a Spartan, don't they fucking train you to do that? Cheirisophos: Should I ask you how to embezzle public funds, since you're an Athenian?

[cyrus-the-younger]

this was so out of pocket

[dererumgestarum]

ROMAN SKYPHOI

The skyphos is a Greek, two-handled drinking cup with a low foot. In the 1st century BC, Roman metalworkers perfected the art of repoussé hammering, which allowed them to create detailed, high-relief forms in complex groupings. 

The subject matter of the skyphoi varied from mythology (Bacchus being a predictable favorite) and poetry to politics and philosophy. The erudite imagery reflected the owner’s elevated taste. When used for toasting at formal dinner parties, the subjects depicted on the skyphoi served as conversation starters for guests.

As they were clearly highly prized for their fine craftsmanship and metallic value, when not in use, the cups were often prominently displayed. Several of the most famous examples to have survived were included in hoardes of sumptuous silver, such as the Boscoreale and Berthouville treasures, buried in antiquity for safekeeping.

The patrons of the skyphoi were largely of the patrician/senatorial class, although very wealthy merchants and equites could afford them, too. At the other end of the social scale, the silversmiths were either slaves or freedmen. The cenotaph of the freedman, P. Curtilius Plagatus, identifies him as faber argentarius and represents him hammering a silver cup.

The J. Paul Getty Museum produced this five-minute video on the making of a Roman silver skyphos.

1. Centaur Cup, Gallo-Roman, Berthouville Treasure, 2nd-3rd Century AD, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Cabinet des Médailles.

2. Garland Skyphos, c. 50-25 BC, Malibu, Getty Villa.

3. Cheirisophos, Skyphos with Scenes from the Iliad, Hoby Treasure, c. AD 10, Copenhagen, Nationalmuseet.

4. Skyphos with olive-garland decoration, Boscoreale Treasure, c. 10 BC, Paris, Musée du Louvre

5. Skyphos with Triumph of Tiberius, Boscoreale Treasure, c. 10 BC, Paris, Musée du Louvre.

6. Skyphos with Bacchic Scenes, c. AD 30, Boston, Museum of Fine Arts.

7. Grapevine skyphos, 1st c AD, Private Collection.

8. Skyphos with Cupids, c. AD 25, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art.

9. Skyphos with Labours of Hercules, c. AD 40, Napoli, Museo Archeologico Nazionale.