by a dog or panther : behind him is Bacchus pointing to Lycurgus with his right hand, and holding a thyrsus in his left.
The workmanship of this remarkable vase belongs to the class called by the ancients diatreta, which seem to have been made by a special class of workmen called Diatretarii. This style of drinking-cup belongs, to judge from Martial's exclamation, to the highest extreme of luxury (xii. 70).
" Ï quantum diatreta valent et quoique comati."
The strangely opalescent paste composing its body refers its production to the Alexandrian fabrique, to be mentioned further on.
These
imitative Onyx-vases obtained a special name from the boldness of their
pretensions, being called ' Calices Audaces,' or ' Impudent ware.' This
is established by the • title ' Calices Audaces ' affixed by Martial
himself to the epigram quoted last page, in which also the very epithet
is repeated :—
" Nos sumus audacis plebeia toreumata vitri."
And
again (xii. 74) he compares the effrontery of the manufacture with that
of himself in presuming to offer so trifling a present to a friend as a
couple of these vases :—
" Dum tibi Niliacus portât crystalla cataplua Aceipe de Circo poeula Flammio : Hi magis audaces an sunt qui talia mittant Munera? ....
Where ' audaces ' following ' pocula ' proves the former to be a generic title.
Finger-rings
formed entirely in glass are known ; the shank of a twisted pattern
imitates in colour the Agate ; they bear a mask in relief, usually in
green, representing a Plasma cameo. One fell into my hands when at
Koine,
