Roman glass objects have been recovered from domestic, industrial and funerary contexts across the expansive Empire. As in the modern day, glassware in antiquity was considered an art form, with the best pieces valued higher than wares made from precious metals. By the first century AD, the technique of glass-blowing had revolutionised the art of glass-making. The new technique allowed craftsmen to use smaller amounts of glass for each vessel and obtain much thinner walls, so enabling the creation of small medicine, incense, and perfume containers in new forms. Different minerals were added to create a variety of colours; the yellow tint seen in this piece (now developed into a more orange colour) would have been created by adding antimony and lead.
To find out more about Roman glass please see our relevant blog post: Ancient Glass and Collecting Roman Glass.
