This cup was decorated by wheel-cutting, a technique in which shallow cuts were made in the surface of a glass vessel by applying a rotating wheel of metal or stone covered with an abrasive material. This decorative technique could be used to create lines, geometric designs, or, as in this case, figural scenes. While many of the scenes applied to glass vessels in the second and third centuries drew upon pagan mythology, Christian subjects became popular in the early fourth century, following the conversion of the Roman emperor Constantine to Christianity in A.D. 312. One popular biblical story was the raising of Lazarus from the dead, a powerful example of the miraculous power of Christ. On this cup, Lazarus, still wrapped in his burial shroud, stands next to Jesus, who holds a staff in his left hand; four other figures included in the scene are probably anonymous onlookers. The style of cutting, in which variously oriented groups of parallel cut lines create solid areas suggestive of anatomy, drapery, architecture, and landscape, is associated with glass-cutters working in Cologne, Germany.