The position of the cupbearer (lat. princerna or buticularius) was an office of high responsibility and trust. The ruler entrusted his health and well-being to the cupbearer. This allowed the cupbearer to approach the Emperor whenever he was in a good and generous mood. The Emperors high trust made the position of cupbearer a highly valued office up into the High Middle Ages.
The fragment counts among the many relief stones daring from the 2nd to 4th century AD - originally designed as Roman tombstones - which were installed in the basement of the castle at Neumagen-Drohn and rediscovered during excavations in the late 19th century.