Ancient Roman Dark Glass Perfume Bottle with Trailing

£ 600.00

A fine Roman perfume bottle blown from glass. The vessel features a globular body sat upon a flat, slightly flattened base. The shoulders taper in to a thin, long cylindrical neck leading to an outsplayed rounded rim. The bottle is decorated with a single trail of glass applied to neck and drawn downward in a spiral, ending on bottom. The glass was originally translucent but currently appears dark and opaque due to earthy encrustation. Intense silver and bright blue iridescence is visible in areas where the encrustations flaked off.

Date: Circa 1st - 2nd Century AD
Provenance: Ex Mayfair, London, UK, gallery, 1990s-2000s. From an important collection of glass, the property of a London gentleman.
Condition: Very fine condition. The vessel is intact. There is a chip to the rim. Please note, the encrustation and iridescence are very delicate.

In stock

Glass production evolved during the Roman Empire with the introduction of glassblowing which allowed for a great variety of different shapes and styles to be constructed. The technique allowed for easier manipulation of the glass into more intricate designs with an assortment of functions. Glassblowing also allowed for a quicker paced production, the hot glass would be blown into a mould and then removed whilst still hot so that the glass maker could still work on it.

To find out more about Roman glass please see our relevant blog post: Ancient Roman Glass and Collecting Roman Glass.

Weight 20.43 g
Dimensions W 5.5 x H 10 cm
Culture

Glass

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Region

Reference: For a similar item: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, item 74.51.213

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