Garas Klára szerk.: A Szépművészeti Múzeum közleményei 62-63. (Budapest, 1984)
SZILÁGYI, J. GY.: VIVAS IN DEO
3rd century, 17 a tall beaker thought to be Syrian or Egyptian, dated 3rd or 4th century, 18 and a conical vessel found in the male burial near Szabadszállás (west of Kecskemét, Hungary), assigned to the first half of the 5th century. 19 The form of the letters suggests a late date for the vessel; a closer study of its shape, however, enables a more precise dating. The type 2 ' 1 can undoubtedly be traced to metal vessels, of which both the undecorated and the lavishly ornamented specimens were fairly widespread and extensively used in Late Antiquity. 21 One of the possible names of the shape, (h)ama or (h)amula, was restricted to jugs used in Christian rituals by modern scholarship; 22 in the wider sense, the name lagoena can also be applied to this type of vase. 23 The 'floruit' of the glass variants was undoubtedly the 4th century; 24 moreover, the detailed study of the ample Pannonian material indicates that it can be assigned to the new types appearing in the middle third of the century, which then became characteristic of the second half of the century. 2 "' Nonetheless, no exact parallel appears among the numerous glass variants either regarding its shape or its decoration. Consequently, its place of manufacture cannot be precisely established. The imported vessels found in Pannónia would indicate an Eastern 1 7 Le c lant, J.: Journal of Glass Studies 15 (1973) 52—68, esp. 57 for the technique. 18 M a t h e s o n, S. B.: Ancient Glass in the Yale University Art Gallery. New Haven, 1980. 95—96, no. 257. 1» Tóth, E. H.: Acta Arch. Hungarica 23 (1971) 115ff., for the technique of decoration with gold leaf 129—133 (with earlier literature and further examples)., she is correct in emphasizing the basic difference between this technique and the one involving the enclosure of gold leaf between two layers of fused glass. For a recent discussion of the latter see P i 11 i n g e r, R.: Studien zu römischen Zwischengoldgläser (Denkschr. d. österr. Ak. d. Wiss.). Wien, 1983. 20 Kisa: op. cit. Formentafel D, shape 201. Cp. infra, note 24. 21 A few examples and variants, without an aim at completeness: V o 1 b a c h — Hirmer : op. cit. pl. 121, left; La Baume, P.: Römisches Kunstgewerbe. Braunschweig, 1964. 41, fig. 33; Strong, D. E.: Greek and Roman Gold and Silver Plate. London, 1966. 188—190 and fig. 37/a (for a recent detailed discussion of this piece see Z a s e c k a j a, I., in: Spätantike und frühchristliche Silbergefässe aus d. Staatl. Ermitage, Leningrad. Berlin, 1978. 85—86, and fig. 5); Kent, J. P. C. — P a i n t e r, K. S. (ed.): Wealth of the Roman World, A. D. 300—700 (British Museum). London, 1977. 54, no. 104. Sassanian variants: e. g. G h i r s h m a n, R.: Iran. Parther u. Sasaniden. München, 1962. 202, fig. 241; 7000 Jahre Kunst in Iran. Villa Hügel, Essen, Katal. 1962. no. 395; etc. 22 Literary sources (also for their antique, non-liturgical use), H i 1 g e r s, W.: Lateinische Gefässnamen. Düsseldorf, 1969. 193—194. For the use of the hama in Christian liturgy see Braun, J.: Das christliche Altargerät. München, 1932. 431; Jungmann, J. A.: Missarum Sollemnia II. Wien, 1948. 8. 23 H i 1 g e r s : op. cit. 61—65, 203—205. 24 See Isings, C. : Roman Glass from dated finds. Groningen, 1957. 149—152, first of all shape 120/d. For a discussion of this type in connection with a jug similar in colour to the Budapest ewer, but of slightly different shape see GoethertPolaschek, K.: Kat. d. röm. Gläser des Rheinischen Landesmuseums Trier. Mainz. 1977. 217—228. shape 126 (with further literature; colour plate of the vessel: ead., Rom. Gläser im Rhein. Landesmus. Trier, 1980. Farbtaf. D) and L i e p m a n n, U.: Glas der Antike (Kestner-Museum). Hannover, 1982. 50, in the text to no. 29. 25 B a r k ó c z i, L. : Magyarország római kori üvegleletei (Finds of Roman glasses in Hungary), in press. We would like to express our gratitude to the author who placed the results of his study at our disposal and allowed us to make use of them. The complete documentation is to be found in his monograph, to be published in the near future.
