Polychrome Roman Portraits Athlete Mug

Ancient Rome meets the modern day in our stylish tableware presenting a fun and fresh interpretation of Imperial-period portraits in the Museum's holdings. Boasting bold, high-contrast colors, this mug featuring the likeness of an athlete (ca. A.D. 138–192) in The Met collection references the revelation that when classical sculptures were rediscovered, time had eroded the rich paint, gilding, and inlay that once enlivened their white marble forms.

Chroma: Ancient Sculpture in Color sheds new light on The Met's celebrated Greek and Roman art galleries. Juxtaposing now-achromatic ancient sculptures with contemporary reconstructions in vivid hues, this prismatic exhibition illuminates the monumental discovery of—and cutting-edge research into—color and other surface treatments on ancient works of art, and counters the social and aesthetic constructs born from common misconceptions and cultural traditions that equate white marble sculpture with ideal beauty.