Cup with Bacchic moifs in high relief

Probably made during Augustus' lifetime or a little after, the cup has a cast handle and foot, a hammered inner liner, and a frieze with high relief decoration worked in repousse, featuring imagery associated with the wine-god Dionysos (Bacchus). In a sacred grove decked with ribbons, thyrsi, torches, and the gilt pelt of a wild animal, a pair of herms-one of Pan, the other of a young satyr-stand alongside two flaming altars, a gilt colonnete supporting a statuette of Priapus, and four columns crowned with masks representing Pan, satyrs, and a helmeted warrior. Other masks, symbolic of Dionysos' role as patron deity of the theater, lie on the ground, where a pair of cocks prepare to do battle. A young boy sits at the base of a rustic table laden with fruits; a second table, with gilt legs in the form of lion­ griffins, is set with wine cups. The god himself is seemingly absent; nevertheless the sanctuary is filled with his divine presence. The Princeton Cup is a rare survivor from an era of legendary luxury, suitable for the table of a senator, a consul, or even the emperor.