View allAll Photos Tagged drinkingmug
We've had these great mugs for a number of years now and although they aren't used too much (just a bit too big) they are still in great condition.
I bought these a number of years ago in Tommy Bahamas at St Armand's Circle in sunny and I really want to get back there in the not too distant future!!
Our Daily Challenge ~ Three Of a Kind …
Stay Safe and Healthy Everyone!
Thanks to everyone who views this photo, adds a note, leaves a comment and of course BIG thanks to anyone who chooses to favourite my photo .... Thanks to you all!
Well, these are not my wife's fancy cups and saucers but some of the many coffee and or tea mugs that we generally use on a daily basis!
Flickr Lounge ~ Weekly Theme (Week 7) ~ Cupboard Love ....
Stay Safe and Healthy Everyone!
Thanks to everyone who views this photo, adds a note, leaves a comment and of course BIG thanks to anyone who chooses to favourite my photo .... Thanks to you all!
We've had these mugs for a number of years now, purchased in a Ralph Lauren store and I'm not sure why the full compliment of Stars and Stripes are not shown on the mugs but they still represent the good old US of A!
Our Daily Challenge ~ USA!! ...
Stay Safe and Healthy Everyone!
Thanks to everyone who views this photo, adds a note, leaves a comment and of course BIG thanks to anyone who chooses to favourite my photo .... Thanks to you all!
My wife and I were gifted these lovely mugs but as we have quite a few we haven't, as yet, used these! So they remain in this lovely presentation box until we do replace our current coffee / tea mugs!
Our Daily Challenge ~ In A Box ...
Stay Safe and Healthy Everyone!
Thanks to everyone who views this photo, adds a note, leaves a comment and of course BIG thanks to anyone who chooses to favourite my photo .... Thanks to you all!
I'm not sure if I have managed my "infamous" attempt at abstract but I did like these little drinking mugs that Lewis uses - the circular shapes and lines and light, well, I liked it!
7 Days of Shooting Week #16 - Round Thoroughly Abstract Thursday .....
Thanks, in advance, to everyone who views this photo, adds a note, leaves a comment and of course BIG thanks to anyone who chooses to favourite my photo .... thanks to you all.
Year Made: 1985
Glassmaker: Anchor Glass Container, Tampa, Florida
Color: clear
Volume: 20 fluid ounces
Height: 8 inches
Diameter: 3 1/2 inches
Weight: 15.5 ounces
Seams: 2 seams to the top
Label Type: embossed
Notes: Embossed on front: " [ relief image of Statue of Liberty] "
Embossed on rear " [ wheat in a circle ] / Statue of Liberty Centennial 1886-1986 / Keep the Torch Lit. "
Embossed on bottom " ANCHOR GLASS CONTAINER CORPORATION / TAMPA FL 33607 / 4 / [ anchor logo ] / © 1985 "
7DOS ~ Water ~ Sunday ....
I was struggling with our Geometry theme today in relation to water, however, one of the kids little drinking cups gave me an idea!
Thanks to everyone who views this photo, adds a note, leaves a comment and of course BIG thanks to anyone who chooses to favourite my photo .... thanks to you all.
Measures 5" high and is 3" wide on top. It weighs a whopping 35 ounces! I have learned that these mugs were supplied to restaurants and food establishments in the 1960's to help market the Dad's Root Beer brand, similar to what the competitor A&W was doing.
The drinking mug is full of ice but still unfilled with some nice fresh juice!
Our Daily Challenge ~ Unfilled ....
Thanks to everyone who views this photo, adds a note, leaves a comment and of course BIG thanks to anyone who chooses to favourite my photo .... thanks to you all.
Guard's Room inside with fire and game board with candles and mugs during winter.This replica immitates the original structures made of wood at the Fort of Camp River Dubois at the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site found in Hartford, Illinois Copyright © by Scott A. McNealy Photographer. www.noboundaryphotography.co.uk
A lovely purse for a (plastic)drinkingmug so your own little fairy can really drink "nectar" from a flower chalice. Also nice for other bits and bobs
Designed by Doriene van der Wijst
Handmade, for more info please look at my profile!
A lovely purse for a (plastic)drinkingmug so your own little fairy can really drink "nectar" from a flower chalice. Also nice for other bits and bobs
Designed by Doriene van der Wijst
Handmade, for more info please look at my profile!
A lovely purse for a (plastic)drinkingmug so your own little fairy can really drink "nectar" from a flower chalice. Also nice for other bits and bobs
Designed by Doriene van der Wijst
Handmade, for more info please look at my profile!
Ram rhyton, c350–275 BC
Panagyurishte, Bulgaria
Gold
Stag rhytons, c350–275 BC
Panagyurishte, Bulgaria
Gold
Ram and stag rhytons
Although their handles are like Greek drinking mugs, these animal-head rhytons have spouts concealed in their mouths. They are decorated with scenes from Greek mythology: Dionysos with the nymph Eriope, Theseus fighting the Marathon bull, and Paris judging a beauty contest between the goddesses Aphrodite, Athena and Hera.
The figures are identified by Greek inscriptions.*
The Panagyurishte treasure
Nine gold drinking vessels were found near Panagyurishte, Bulgaria. This region was once known as Thrace, a bridge between Europe and Asia that fell briefly within the Persian empire, and later the Macedonian empire. Greeks had long settled in cities along the Black Sea coast of Thrace.
Superbly crafted from gold weighing 6.2 kg, the Panagyurishte treasure blends Persian, Greek, Anatolian and possibly Thracian styles. It may have been a diplomatic gift for a Thracian king, exemplifying the political role of luxury in the Hellenistic era.*
From the exhibition
Luxury and power: Persia to Greece
(May 2023 – Aug 2023)
Between 490 and 479 BC, the Persian empire tried, and failed, to conquer mainland Greece. Many Greeks explained their victory as a triumph of plain living over a ‘barbarian’ enemy weakened by luxury. Ancient objects reveal a different story. The Persian court used luxury as an expression of prestige and power, with a distinctive style that was imitated and adapted across cultural borders, even influencing democratic Athens and, later, the world of Alexander the Great.
'Treasure there was in plenty – tents full of gold and silver furniture… bowls, goblets, and cups, all made of gold'
When Greek soldiers captured the royal command tent of the Persian king during the Greco-Persian Wars (499–449 BC), they were confronted suddenly and spectacularly by luxury on an unimaginable scale. To many ancient Greek writers, the victories of the small Greek forces against the mighty Persians were a triumph of discipline and restraint over an empire weakened by decadence and excess.
Drawing on dazzling objects from Afghanistan to Greece, this exhibition moved beyond the ancient Greek spin to explore a more complex story about luxury as a political tool in the Middle East and southeast Europe from 550–30 BC. It explored how the royal Achaemenid court of Persia used precious objects as markers of authority, defining a style of luxury that resonated across the empire from Egypt to India. It considered how eastern luxuries were received in early democratic Athens, self-styled as Persia's arch-enemy, and how they were adapted in innovative ways to make them socially and politically acceptable. Finally, it explored how Alexander the Great swept aside the Persian empire to usher in a new Hellenistic age in which eastern and western styles of luxury were fused as part of an increasingly interconnected world.
The exhibition brought together exquisitely crafted objects in gold, silver and glass, and featured star loans including the extraordinary Panagyurishte Treasure from Bulgaria. Whether coveted as objects of prestige or disparaged as signs of decadence, the beauty of these Persian, Greek and Hellenistic luxuries shaped the political landscape of Europe and Asia in the first millennium BC – and their legacy persists in our attitudes to luxury today.
[*British Musem]
Taken in the British Museum
A lovely purse for a (plastic)drinkingmug so your own little fairy can really drink "nectar" from a flower chalice. Also nice for other bits and bobs
Designed by Doriene van der Wijst
Handmade, for more info please look at my profile!
A lovely purse for a (plastic)drinkingmug so your own little fairy can really drink "nectar" from a flower chalice. Also nice for other bits and bobs
Designed by Doriene van der Wijst
Handmade, for more info please look at my profile!
A lovely purse for a (plastic)drinkingmug so your own little fairy can really drink "nectar" from a flower chalice. Also nice for other bits and bobs
Designed by Doriene van der Wijst
Handmade, for more info please look at my profile!
Ram rhyton, c350–275 BC
Panagyurishte, Bulgaria
Gold
Stag rhytons, c350–275 BC
Panagyurishte, Bulgaria
Gold
Ram and stag rhytons
Although their handles are like Greek drinking mugs, these animal-head rhytons have spouts concealed in their mouths. They are decorated with scenes from Greek mythology: Dionysos with the nymph Eriope, Theseus fighting the Marathon bull, and Paris judging a beauty contest between the goddesses Aphrodite, Athena and Hera.
The figures are identified by Greek inscriptions.*
The Panagyurishte treasure
Nine gold drinking vessels were found near Panagyurishte, Bulgaria. This region was once known as Thrace, a bridge between Europe and Asia that fell briefly within the Persian empire, and later the Macedonian empire. Greeks had long settled in cities along the Black Sea coast of Thrace.
Superbly crafted from gold weighing 6.2 kg, the Panagyurishte treasure blends Persian, Greek, Anatolian and possibly Thracian styles. It may have been a diplomatic gift for a Thracian king, exemplifying the political role of luxury in the Hellenistic era.*
From the exhibition
Luxury and power: Persia to Greece
(May 2023 – Aug 2023)
Between 490 and 479 BC, the Persian empire tried, and failed, to conquer mainland Greece. Many Greeks explained their victory as a triumph of plain living over a ‘barbarian’ enemy weakened by luxury. Ancient objects reveal a different story. The Persian court used luxury as an expression of prestige and power, with a distinctive style that was imitated and adapted across cultural borders, even influencing democratic Athens and, later, the world of Alexander the Great.
'Treasure there was in plenty – tents full of gold and silver furniture… bowls, goblets, and cups, all made of gold'
When Greek soldiers captured the royal command tent of the Persian king during the Greco-Persian Wars (499–449 BC), they were confronted suddenly and spectacularly by luxury on an unimaginable scale. To many ancient Greek writers, the victories of the small Greek forces against the mighty Persians were a triumph of discipline and restraint over an empire weakened by decadence and excess.
Drawing on dazzling objects from Afghanistan to Greece, this exhibition moved beyond the ancient Greek spin to explore a more complex story about luxury as a political tool in the Middle East and southeast Europe from 550–30 BC. It explored how the royal Achaemenid court of Persia used precious objects as markers of authority, defining a style of luxury that resonated across the empire from Egypt to India. It considered how eastern luxuries were received in early democratic Athens, self-styled as Persia's arch-enemy, and how they were adapted in innovative ways to make them socially and politically acceptable. Finally, it explored how Alexander the Great swept aside the Persian empire to usher in a new Hellenistic age in which eastern and western styles of luxury were fused as part of an increasingly interconnected world.
The exhibition brought together exquisitely crafted objects in gold, silver and glass, and featured star loans including the extraordinary Panagyurishte Treasure from Bulgaria. Whether coveted as objects of prestige or disparaged as signs of decadence, the beauty of these Persian, Greek and Hellenistic luxuries shaped the political landscape of Europe and Asia in the first millennium BC – and their legacy persists in our attitudes to luxury today.
[*British Musem]
Taken in the British Museum
A lovely purse for a (plastic)drinkingmug so your own little fairy can really drink "nectar" from a flower chalice. Also nice for other bits and bobs
Designed by Doriene van der Wijst
Handmade, for more info please look at my profile!
Ram rhyton, c350–275 BC
Panagyurishte, Bulgaria
Gold
Stag rhytons, c350–275 BC
Panagyurishte, Bulgaria
Gold
Ram and stag rhytons
Although their handles are like Greek drinking mugs, these animal-head rhytons have spouts concealed in their mouths. They are decorated with scenes from Greek mythology: Dionysos with the nymph Eriope, Theseus fighting the Marathon bull, and Paris judging a beauty contest between the goddesses Aphrodite, Athena and Hera.
The figures are identified by Greek inscriptions.*
The Panagyurishte treasure
Nine gold drinking vessels were found near Panagyurishte, Bulgaria. This region was once known as Thrace, a bridge between Europe and Asia that fell briefly within the Persian empire, and later the Macedonian empire. Greeks had long settled in cities along the Black Sea coast of Thrace.
Superbly crafted from gold weighing 6.2 kg, the Panagyurishte treasure blends Persian, Greek, Anatolian and possibly Thracian styles. It may have been a diplomatic gift for a Thracian king, exemplifying the political role of luxury in the Hellenistic era.*
From the exhibition
Luxury and power: Persia to Greece
(May 2023 – Aug 2023)
Between 490 and 479 BC, the Persian empire tried, and failed, to conquer mainland Greece. Many Greeks explained their victory as a triumph of plain living over a ‘barbarian’ enemy weakened by luxury. Ancient objects reveal a different story. The Persian court used luxury as an expression of prestige and power, with a distinctive style that was imitated and adapted across cultural borders, even influencing democratic Athens and, later, the world of Alexander the Great.
'Treasure there was in plenty – tents full of gold and silver furniture… bowls, goblets, and cups, all made of gold'
When Greek soldiers captured the royal command tent of the Persian king during the Greco-Persian Wars (499–449 BC), they were confronted suddenly and spectacularly by luxury on an unimaginable scale. To many ancient Greek writers, the victories of the small Greek forces against the mighty Persians were a triumph of discipline and restraint over an empire weakened by decadence and excess.
Drawing on dazzling objects from Afghanistan to Greece, this exhibition moved beyond the ancient Greek spin to explore a more complex story about luxury as a political tool in the Middle East and southeast Europe from 550–30 BC. It explored how the royal Achaemenid court of Persia used precious objects as markers of authority, defining a style of luxury that resonated across the empire from Egypt to India. It considered how eastern luxuries were received in early democratic Athens, self-styled as Persia's arch-enemy, and how they were adapted in innovative ways to make them socially and politically acceptable. Finally, it explored how Alexander the Great swept aside the Persian empire to usher in a new Hellenistic age in which eastern and western styles of luxury were fused as part of an increasingly interconnected world.
The exhibition brought together exquisitely crafted objects in gold, silver and glass, and featured star loans including the extraordinary Panagyurishte Treasure from Bulgaria. Whether coveted as objects of prestige or disparaged as signs of decadence, the beauty of these Persian, Greek and Hellenistic luxuries shaped the political landscape of Europe and Asia in the first millennium BC – and their legacy persists in our attitudes to luxury today.
[*British Musem]
Taken in the British Museum
Ram rhyton, c350–275 BC
Panagyurishte, Bulgaria
Gold
Stag rhytons, c350–275 BC
Panagyurishte, Bulgaria
Gold
Ram and stag rhytons
Although their handles are like Greek drinking mugs, these animal-head rhytons have spouts concealed in their mouths. They are decorated with scenes from Greek mythology: Dionysos with the nymph Eriope, Theseus fighting the Marathon bull, and Paris judging a beauty contest between the goddesses Aphrodite, Athena and Hera.
The figures are identified by Greek inscriptions.*
The Panagyurishte treasure
Nine gold drinking vessels were found near Panagyurishte, Bulgaria. This region was once known as Thrace, a bridge between Europe and Asia that fell briefly within the Persian empire, and later the Macedonian empire. Greeks had long settled in cities along the Black Sea coast of Thrace.
Superbly crafted from gold weighing 6.2 kg, the Panagyurishte treasure blends Persian, Greek, Anatolian and possibly Thracian styles. It may have been a diplomatic gift for a Thracian king, exemplifying the political role of luxury in the Hellenistic era.*
From the exhibition
Luxury and power: Persia to Greece
(May 2023 – Aug 2023)
Between 490 and 479 BC, the Persian empire tried, and failed, to conquer mainland Greece. Many Greeks explained their victory as a triumph of plain living over a ‘barbarian’ enemy weakened by luxury. Ancient objects reveal a different story. The Persian court used luxury as an expression of prestige and power, with a distinctive style that was imitated and adapted across cultural borders, even influencing democratic Athens and, later, the world of Alexander the Great.
'Treasure there was in plenty – tents full of gold and silver furniture… bowls, goblets, and cups, all made of gold'
When Greek soldiers captured the royal command tent of the Persian king during the Greco-Persian Wars (499–449 BC), they were confronted suddenly and spectacularly by luxury on an unimaginable scale. To many ancient Greek writers, the victories of the small Greek forces against the mighty Persians were a triumph of discipline and restraint over an empire weakened by decadence and excess.
Drawing on dazzling objects from Afghanistan to Greece, this exhibition moved beyond the ancient Greek spin to explore a more complex story about luxury as a political tool in the Middle East and southeast Europe from 550–30 BC. It explored how the royal Achaemenid court of Persia used precious objects as markers of authority, defining a style of luxury that resonated across the empire from Egypt to India. It considered how eastern luxuries were received in early democratic Athens, self-styled as Persia's arch-enemy, and how they were adapted in innovative ways to make them socially and politically acceptable. Finally, it explored how Alexander the Great swept aside the Persian empire to usher in a new Hellenistic age in which eastern and western styles of luxury were fused as part of an increasingly interconnected world.
The exhibition brought together exquisitely crafted objects in gold, silver and glass, and featured star loans including the extraordinary Panagyurishte Treasure from Bulgaria. Whether coveted as objects of prestige or disparaged as signs of decadence, the beauty of these Persian, Greek and Hellenistic luxuries shaped the political landscape of Europe and Asia in the first millennium BC – and their legacy persists in our attitudes to luxury today.
[*British Musem]
Taken in the British Museum
Ram rhyton, c350–275 BC
Panagyurishte, Bulgaria
Gold
Stag rhytons, c350–275 BC
Panagyurishte, Bulgaria
Gold
Ram and stag rhytons
Although their handles are like Greek drinking mugs, these animal-head rhytons have spouts concealed in their mouths. They are decorated with scenes from Greek mythology: Dionysos with the nymph Eriope, Theseus fighting the Marathon bull, and Paris judging a beauty contest between the goddesses Aphrodite, Athena and Hera.
The figures are identified by Greek inscriptions.*
The Panagyurishte treasure
Nine gold drinking vessels were found near Panagyurishte, Bulgaria. This region was once known as Thrace, a bridge between Europe and Asia that fell briefly within the Persian empire, and later the Macedonian empire. Greeks had long settled in cities along the Black Sea coast of Thrace.
Superbly crafted from gold weighing 6.2 kg, the Panagyurishte treasure blends Persian, Greek, Anatolian and possibly Thracian styles. It may have been a diplomatic gift for a Thracian king, exemplifying the political role of luxury in the Hellenistic era.*
From the exhibition
Luxury and power: Persia to Greece
(May 2023 – Aug 2023)
Between 490 and 479 BC, the Persian empire tried, and failed, to conquer mainland Greece. Many Greeks explained their victory as a triumph of plain living over a ‘barbarian’ enemy weakened by luxury. Ancient objects reveal a different story. The Persian court used luxury as an expression of prestige and power, with a distinctive style that was imitated and adapted across cultural borders, even influencing democratic Athens and, later, the world of Alexander the Great.
'Treasure there was in plenty – tents full of gold and silver furniture… bowls, goblets, and cups, all made of gold'
When Greek soldiers captured the royal command tent of the Persian king during the Greco-Persian Wars (499–449 BC), they were confronted suddenly and spectacularly by luxury on an unimaginable scale. To many ancient Greek writers, the victories of the small Greek forces against the mighty Persians were a triumph of discipline and restraint over an empire weakened by decadence and excess.
Drawing on dazzling objects from Afghanistan to Greece, this exhibition moved beyond the ancient Greek spin to explore a more complex story about luxury as a political tool in the Middle East and southeast Europe from 550–30 BC. It explored how the royal Achaemenid court of Persia used precious objects as markers of authority, defining a style of luxury that resonated across the empire from Egypt to India. It considered how eastern luxuries were received in early democratic Athens, self-styled as Persia's arch-enemy, and how they were adapted in innovative ways to make them socially and politically acceptable. Finally, it explored how Alexander the Great swept aside the Persian empire to usher in a new Hellenistic age in which eastern and western styles of luxury were fused as part of an increasingly interconnected world.
The exhibition brought together exquisitely crafted objects in gold, silver and glass, and featured star loans including the extraordinary Panagyurishte Treasure from Bulgaria. Whether coveted as objects of prestige or disparaged as signs of decadence, the beauty of these Persian, Greek and Hellenistic luxuries shaped the political landscape of Europe and Asia in the first millennium BC – and their legacy persists in our attitudes to luxury today.
[*British Musem]
Taken in the British Museum
Ram rhyton, c350–275 BC
Panagyurishte, Bulgaria
Gold
Stag rhytons, c350–275 BC
Panagyurishte, Bulgaria
Gold
Ram and stag rhytons
Although their handles are like Greek drinking mugs, these animal-head rhytons have spouts concealed in their mouths. They are decorated with scenes from Greek mythology: Dionysos with the nymph Eriope, Theseus fighting the Marathon bull, and Paris judging a beauty contest between the goddesses Aphrodite, Athena and Hera.
The figures are identified by Greek inscriptions.*
The Panagyurishte treasure
Nine gold drinking vessels were found near Panagyurishte, Bulgaria. This region was once known as Thrace, a bridge between Europe and Asia that fell briefly within the Persian empire, and later the Macedonian empire. Greeks had long settled in cities along the Black Sea coast of Thrace.
Superbly crafted from gold weighing 6.2 kg, the Panagyurishte treasure blends Persian, Greek, Anatolian and possibly Thracian styles. It may have been a diplomatic gift for a Thracian king, exemplifying the political role of luxury in the Hellenistic era.*
From the exhibition
Luxury and power: Persia to Greece
(May 2023 – Aug 2023)
Between 490 and 479 BC, the Persian empire tried, and failed, to conquer mainland Greece. Many Greeks explained their victory as a triumph of plain living over a ‘barbarian’ enemy weakened by luxury. Ancient objects reveal a different story. The Persian court used luxury as an expression of prestige and power, with a distinctive style that was imitated and adapted across cultural borders, even influencing democratic Athens and, later, the world of Alexander the Great.
'Treasure there was in plenty – tents full of gold and silver furniture… bowls, goblets, and cups, all made of gold'
When Greek soldiers captured the royal command tent of the Persian king during the Greco-Persian Wars (499–449 BC), they were confronted suddenly and spectacularly by luxury on an unimaginable scale. To many ancient Greek writers, the victories of the small Greek forces against the mighty Persians were a triumph of discipline and restraint over an empire weakened by decadence and excess.
Drawing on dazzling objects from Afghanistan to Greece, this exhibition moved beyond the ancient Greek spin to explore a more complex story about luxury as a political tool in the Middle East and southeast Europe from 550–30 BC. It explored how the royal Achaemenid court of Persia used precious objects as markers of authority, defining a style of luxury that resonated across the empire from Egypt to India. It considered how eastern luxuries were received in early democratic Athens, self-styled as Persia's arch-enemy, and how they were adapted in innovative ways to make them socially and politically acceptable. Finally, it explored how Alexander the Great swept aside the Persian empire to usher in a new Hellenistic age in which eastern and western styles of luxury were fused as part of an increasingly interconnected world.
The exhibition brought together exquisitely crafted objects in gold, silver and glass, and featured star loans including the extraordinary Panagyurishte Treasure from Bulgaria. Whether coveted as objects of prestige or disparaged as signs of decadence, the beauty of these Persian, Greek and Hellenistic luxuries shaped the political landscape of Europe and Asia in the first millennium BC – and their legacy persists in our attitudes to luxury today.
[*British Musem]
Taken in the British Museum
Ram rhyton, c350–275 BC
Panagyurishte, Bulgaria
Gold
Stag rhytons, c350–275 BC
Panagyurishte, Bulgaria
Gold
Ram and stag rhytons
Although their handles are like Greek drinking mugs, these animal-head rhytons have spouts concealed in their mouths. They are decorated with scenes from Greek mythology: Dionysos with the nymph Eriope, Theseus fighting the Marathon bull, and Paris judging a beauty contest between the goddesses Aphrodite, Athena and Hera.
The figures are identified by Greek inscriptions.*
The Panagyurishte treasure
Nine gold drinking vessels were found near Panagyurishte, Bulgaria. This region was once known as Thrace, a bridge between Europe and Asia that fell briefly within the Persian empire, and later the Macedonian empire. Greeks had long settled in cities along the Black Sea coast of Thrace.
Superbly crafted from gold weighing 6.2 kg, the Panagyurishte treasure blends Persian, Greek, Anatolian and possibly Thracian styles. It may have been a diplomatic gift for a Thracian king, exemplifying the political role of luxury in the Hellenistic era.*
From the exhibition
Luxury and power: Persia to Greece
(May 2023 – Aug 2023)
Between 490 and 479 BC, the Persian empire tried, and failed, to conquer mainland Greece. Many Greeks explained their victory as a triumph of plain living over a ‘barbarian’ enemy weakened by luxury. Ancient objects reveal a different story. The Persian court used luxury as an expression of prestige and power, with a distinctive style that was imitated and adapted across cultural borders, even influencing democratic Athens and, later, the world of Alexander the Great.
'Treasure there was in plenty – tents full of gold and silver furniture… bowls, goblets, and cups, all made of gold'
When Greek soldiers captured the royal command tent of the Persian king during the Greco-Persian Wars (499–449 BC), they were confronted suddenly and spectacularly by luxury on an unimaginable scale. To many ancient Greek writers, the victories of the small Greek forces against the mighty Persians were a triumph of discipline and restraint over an empire weakened by decadence and excess.
Drawing on dazzling objects from Afghanistan to Greece, this exhibition moved beyond the ancient Greek spin to explore a more complex story about luxury as a political tool in the Middle East and southeast Europe from 550–30 BC. It explored how the royal Achaemenid court of Persia used precious objects as markers of authority, defining a style of luxury that resonated across the empire from Egypt to India. It considered how eastern luxuries were received in early democratic Athens, self-styled as Persia's arch-enemy, and how they were adapted in innovative ways to make them socially and politically acceptable. Finally, it explored how Alexander the Great swept aside the Persian empire to usher in a new Hellenistic age in which eastern and western styles of luxury were fused as part of an increasingly interconnected world.
The exhibition brought together exquisitely crafted objects in gold, silver and glass, and featured star loans including the extraordinary Panagyurishte Treasure from Bulgaria. Whether coveted as objects of prestige or disparaged as signs of decadence, the beauty of these Persian, Greek and Hellenistic luxuries shaped the political landscape of Europe and Asia in the first millennium BC – and their legacy persists in our attitudes to luxury today.
[*British Musem]
Taken in the British Museum
I received a drinking mug in the shape of a 24-105 mm lens for Christmas. Even the makers name began with a "C"