3-037-000 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Skyphos, 50-25 B.C. Additional Info: Four flying Cupids support a large continuous garland that wraps around this Roman silver skyphos, one of a pair of matching cups. 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.