Silver bowl
It is cylindrical in shape and equipped with a ringed base. The actual cup and the foot were made separately, then welded together. The annular foot is concave externally and slightly oblique internally; similarly, the base of the foot is slightly inclined inward. In the middle, the foot features a discoid protuberance with a very low relief, delineated by a concentric groove and incision; a recessed point marks the centre of the disc. It would not be excluded that the foot was reshaped by finishing after an initial turning operation on the wood lathe. The cup was made by rolling and hammering the base and cylinder separately, then welding them. The lip, which was hammered and cut in places, is thickened and rounded outwards. Just below the lip is a groove, below which unfolds a decorative register, bounded at its lower part by a groove similar to the first. The decoration is of a Bacchic nature and is divided into two large segments by arcs of concave circles to the left. The separating circular arcs, probably to suggest walls, have their relief slightly inclined to the right. At roughly equal distances, three transverse edges divide the scene into four sectors; within each zone, by hammering with a fine tool with a square end, a reticulated decoration was obtained, which perhaps aims to imitate construction elements.
Since the decoration's two main scenes don't seem to be in a logical order, we'll start from one of the circular arcs and go left to right. The register that is thus considered the first includes the following elements: two tropical trees, then a Cupid with a dog chasing a deer. The first tree – which could be a palm tree – is slender, with a cruciform crown; its foliage is rendered realistically by stippling and incisions. The second tree, made the same way, has a thick trunk and branched crown (maybe a sycamore). On its left branch is hung a syrinx, decorated on its board with a row of three dots representing rivets. On his right branch hangs an almost cylindrical quiver, which reveals the upper part of the bundle of arrows; the quiver is decorated with a horizontal incision at each end and, in its median part, with two oblique and parallel incised lines. Eros has his usual appearance of a chubby child, with a schematically rendered face and slightly wavy hair; his only visible wing is divided by incised lines into five segments; the feathers are suggested by punctures and fine incisions; in his left hand, he holds an object that could be either a stylised thyrsus 30 or a torch whose flame is deflected in the direction of his movement; in his right hand, he holds a dog on a leash. This one, depicted in full motion with its front legs raised, ears laid back, and mouth open, expresses momentum and strength. Two dots, representing ornamental nails, decorate its collar, and a few punches roughly render its fur. The last element of this segment is a deer in full flight, with its muzzle slightly open and its front legs raised very high; its hooves and fur are rendered by incisions and punctures. In several places – in front of the first tree, between the trees, between the tree and Eros, under the dog, under the deer – the artist made a few incisions suggesting tufts of grass.
The second decorative panel also begins with a tree; its slender shape and pyramidal crown allow it to be identified as a cypress. A second tree, similar to the sycamore (?) of the first register, is partially obscured by a cippus, or rather by a cylindrical funerary urn with a double prismatic base and covered with a conical lid with a knob; the upper left corner is obliquely connected to the lower right corner by two parallel rows of dots (a garland of flowers?). On the right branch of the last tree, a dog is tied by a leash; with its head turned back, its mouth slightly open, its ears laid back, and its front paws strongly raised, the animal intensely participates in the hunting scene unfolding before it; its fur and certain anatomical elements are always represented by incisions and punctures; its collar is decorated with two small dots representing rivets or ornamental nails. In front of the dog is a second Eros, similar to the first, but holding a bow with an arrow that he is about to shoot. In full pursuit, with front paws raised, head pulled back, and mouth slightly open, a second dog chases a gazelle; this animal is also depicted in full flight, with front hooves raised high, snout wide open, and head pulled back; its slightly rounded horns almost reach its back, whose parallel stripes specific to this species are rendered by incisions; the fur of these last two animals is again indicated by punctures. The vegetation is suggested by dots under the three animals and in front of the gazelle.
On the foot of the vase, between the discoid protuberance and the base, we see the letter B, marked by dots. This letter has been interpreted as an indication of the vase's weight or as the silver content of its alloy. In this case, the abbreviation in question could represent half a pondus (= 327.45 g), that is, 163.745 g, a figure close to the weight of the cup, which is 155.7 g.
The vase we have just described, by its decoration, belongs to Dionysian toreutics; the composition is balanced and symmetrical, with a fair balance between dynamic and static elements. Without reaching the level of a masterpiece, the ancient goldsmith was able to chisel and engrave a geometrically grouped decoration, where the characteristics of each scene are faithfully rendered. That is why, from an artistic perspective, the vase can, in our opinion, be assigned to the period between the beginning of the Flavian dynasty and the reign of Hadrian. The shape of the vase, on the other hand, roughly places it between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD. Given these landmarks, we estimate that by its decoration, style, and shape, the cup from Muncelul de Sus can be assigned to the 1st century AD, perhaps to the middle of that century. Regarding the centre from which it comes, it is difficult to say, but in any case, its southeastern origin cannot be doubted.
Quantity
1
Weight
155.7 g
Width
3.75 cm
Diameter
8 cm
Comment
Inv.no. 4513
Material
Silver
Hoard
