The Lycurgus Cup is a fourth century Roman cage cup carved from dichroic glass, a type of glass that changes color depending on the direction of the light passing through it, appearing red when lit from behind and green when lit from in front. It is the only complete Roman object known to survive in this glass technique and depicts the mythical King Lycurgus entangled by the god Dionysus and his followers. The cup is held by the British Museum in London.
Facts
Year CreatedCirca; the British Museum dating given in the raw source is a range, about 290-325 AD, not a single year. MediumDichroic cage-cup glass 1 Primary Material Connections
Sources
1. Lycurgus Cup (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHistory section
The cup was "perhaps made in Alexandria" or Rome in about 290-325 AD, and measures 16.5 cm × 13.2 cm (6.5 in × 5.2 in).
Lead paragraph, sentence 1
The Lycurgus Cup is a Roman glass 4th-century cage cup made of a dichroic glass, which shows a different colour depending on whether or not light is passing through it: red when lit from behind and green when lit from in front.
History section, 1958 acquisition
In 1958, Victor, Lord Rothschild sold it to the British Museum for £20,000, £2,000 of which was donated by the Art Fund (then the NACF).
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