The Vicarello Goblet (25 BCE – 25 CE)

The Vicarello Goblet is an outstanding example of Roman silversmithing from the Augustan period (25 BCE–25 CE). This small silver drinking cup, discovered near ancient thermal springs north of Rome, features a finely detailed relief scene depicting a rustic ritual in honor of Priapus, the Roman god of fertility, gardens, and male sexuality. Priapus is shown as an ithyphallic (permanently erect) figure, symbolizing abundance and protection. The goblet exemplifies the luxury tableware used by the Roman elite and is now part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The goblet dates to the early Roman Empire under Emperor Augustus (27 BCE–14 CE), a time of cultural flourishing and refinement in luxury arts. It was likely manufactured in Italy or the eastern Mediterranean by a skilled silversmith specializing in repoussé relief work. It was discovered around 1862 at Vicarello (ancient Aquae Apollinares), a site near Lake Bracciano known for its healing thermal springs dedicated to Apollo. Such sites often received votive offerings related to health, fertility, and recovery from illness, making the goblet’s fertility theme particularly fitting despite the site’s primary dedication to Apollo. 

One captivating detail is the central gesture in the relief: a woman reaches out to touch Priapus’s phallic form, seemingly bringing the god “to life” or activating his powers through ritual contact. This act likely symbolizes a prayer or magical invocation for fertility, bountiful harvests, children, or erotic vitality—common concerns in Priapus’s cult. While no exact myth describes this precise gesture, it artistically captures the intimate, devotional relationship devotees had with the god. The goblet’s discovery amid thermal springs adds another layer: it may have been deposited as a votive offering by someone seeking healing from infertility or related ailments, blending the site’s therapeutic reputation with Priapus’s domain over reproduction and virility.

The goblet belongs to a tradition of Roman silver vessels decorated with Dionysian (Bacchic) themes, which celebrated wine, ecstasy, fertility, and the untamed forces of nature. Priapus, son of Dionysos (Bacchus), was a minor but popular deity invoked as a guardian of gardens, orchards, livestock, and boundaries. His herm-like form—a pillar topped with a head and erect phallus—served as a protective scarecrow-like figure against the evil eye and to promote growth. The scene depicts a rural shrine ritual within the Dionysian thiasos (retinue), with ecstatic followers (a satyr and maenad) dancing in abandon, reinforcing themes of liberation through wine and revelry. Such imagery was ideal for symposium drinking cups, where wine fueled social and philosophical discussions. The goblet’s high quality highlights how Roman elites used art to evoke pleasure, fertility, and divine favor during banquets.

The goblet is crafted from silver using advanced repoussé and chasing techniques to create the raised relief decoration. The overall dimensions are 12.2 cm (4 13/16 in.) in height by 7.8 cm (3 1/16 in.) in diameter, making it a compact yet elegant vessel suitable for holding wine. The surface is decorated with a continuous frieze showing the multifigure scene in exquisite detail, demonstrating the silversmith’s mastery in rendering human and divine forms, drapery, and naturalistic elements like offerings and architectural features.

The provenance of the Vicarello Goblet can be traced back to 1867 or shortly thereafter, when it entered the collection of Sir William Drake, F.S.A. (1817–1890), a prominent British antiquarian and collector based in London, England. By 1912, the goblet had been acquired by Baron Edmond de Rothschild (1845–1934) in Paris, France, one of the most influential art and antiquities collectors of his era from the renowned Rothschild family. It remained in private hands until April 5, 1966, when it was offered and sold at auction at Christie’s in London as lot number 12. That same year, the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio, purchased the goblet through the J. H. Wade Fund, and it has remained in the museum’s permanent collection ever since.