Archaeologist and glassblower Hallie Meredith identified recurring motifs—crosses, leaves and diamonds—on Roman diatreta (glass cage cups) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her research argues these marks were not mere decoration but a purposeful visual language used between the fourth and sixth centuries to indicate workshop origin or teams of makers. Published in the Journal of Glass Studies and World Archaeology, her analysis draws on unfinished fragments, tool marks and inscriptions and suggests coordinated, years‑long production by apprentices, polishers and engravers.
Ancient Roman Glass Reveals a Hidden 'Language' of Makers
Archaeologist and glassblower Hallie Meredith identified recurring motifs—crosses, leaves and diamonds—on Roman diatreta (glass cage cups) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her research argues these marks were not mere decoration but a purposeful visual language used between the fourth and sixth centuries to indicate workshop origin or teams of makers. Published in the Journal of Glass Studies and World Archaeology, her analysis draws on unfinished fragments, tool marks and inscriptions and suggests coordinated, years‑long production by apprentices, polishers and engravers.
12:39 PM, 11/15/2025Culture
Ancient Roman Glass Reveals a Hidden 'Language' of Makers
Long-overlooked details in Roman glasswork may point to an organized practice among artisans, according to archaeologist and glassblower Hallie Meredith. While studying diatreta—the ornate glass "cage cups"—at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Meredith rotated a vessel and noticed recurring motifs that others had photographed out of view.
“Because I am trained as a maker, I kept wanting to flip things over,” Meredith said. “When that happens, patterns appear that everyone else has literally photographed out of the frame.”
She recorded motifs such as crosses, leaves and diamonds placed next to an inscription that effectively reads “wishing [the cup's] owner a long life.” Previously dismissed as mere decoration, Meredith’s inspection of multiple diatreta dated to the fourth through sixth centuries suggests these marks were deliberate and meaningful.
Archaeologists had already established that diatreta were produced from large blocks of thick glass carved into two superimposed layers connected by delicate glass bridges. Building on that technical understanding, Meredith examined unfinished fragments, tool marks and inscriptions and argues that the recurring motifs functioned as a kind of visual language—possibly identifying regional workshops, techniques or individual teams of makers.
Her findings appear in an April issue of the Journal of Glass Studies, with a related study published recently in World Archaeology. Meredith infers that production involved coordinated teams—apprentices, polishers and engravers—working together on elaborate pieces that could take years to complete. In this view, the motifs acted much like a maker’s mark or ancient brand.
Meredith hopes the work will spur further research into diatreta production and the social organization of ancient craftworkers. “There’s been a static picture of people who do the work,” she said. “As the evidence is assembled, far more is known about these craftworkers than previously thought.”
Why it matters: Interpreting these symbols as deliberate marks rather than mere ornamentation reshapes how we understand authorship, workshops and collaborative labor behind luxury objects in late antiquity.