Beautiful Object

This is the oldest object on display in the National Gallery of Art ...



French 12th Century (cup Alexandrian 2nd/1st Century B.C.)
Chalice of the Abbot Suger of Saint-Denis, 2nd/1st century B.C. (cup); 1137-1140 (mounting)
Widener Collection

I especially like the carved and fluted stone cup which, according to an article in the Washington Post, is "an antique cup made from a block of translucent sardonyx, a semiprecious stone, carved about 100 B.C. in Greek-speaking Alexandria." The colors of the stone are beautiful and its form is feminine and graceful.