Spectacular Translucence: The Games in Glass

Abstract

Glass cups bearing labeled images of charioteers and gladiators were popular between ad 50 and 80 and have been found throughout the empire's northwestern quadrant, including Italy. Fashioned in the recently invented technique of mold-blowing, their words and images were doubly legible on the translucent support: the names and contestants appear on both sides of the glass wall. A phenomenological approach to the cups reveals an overlooked phase in the representation of the empire's leading sports, as well as new ways of reading and watching the games in glass. The cups' sensory allure complicates their traditional categorization as souvenirs and vehicles of imperial propaganda.

The Vindolanda Vessel: pXRF and Microphotography of an Enamel-Painted Roman Gladiator Glass

“…By the mid-first century, Roman glassware was typically produced by the controlled blowing of melted glass through a pipe that was then formed into the required shape or, alternatively, mould-blown into a ceramic mould that was then manipulated [3,9,10]. Sometimes, these moulds contained manufacturers' brands, decorative motifs, texts or active scenes articulated in relief, including depictions of gladiatorial combat and charioteer games dating from c. 50-80 CE described by Pliny the Elder [2] (37.63-64), such as an exquisite example from Colchester, now in the British Museum collections, depicting gladiatorial scenes [11]. Blowing had a transformative impact on glassmaking, prompting the large-scale manufacture of an easily produced and diverse range of glassware vessels that were more accessible, affordable and, consequently, attractive to Roman consumers from across the full spectrum of society.…”