The Cup of the Ptolemies (French: Coupe des Ptolémées) is an onyx cameo two-handled cup, or kantharos.[1][2] The cup, decorated with Dionysiac vignettes and emblems, was carved at some point in Classical Antiquity, probably in Alexandria. Eventually, it found its way into the treasury of the French kingdom, before it was donated to the abbey of St. Denis. During the Middle Ages, it was used as a Christian chalice, and lavish mounts were added, with Latin inscriptions. In 1804, the cup was stolen, and the mounts were lost, although the cup itself was recovered. It is now in the Cabinet des Médailles at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris.
The unknown artist carved the work from the five alternately dark and light layers of the stone with great virtuosity. He achieves an increased transparency of the material by cutting layers that in places are of unparalleled thinness (minimum 2 mm).