Roman Aubergine Glass Bottle

£ 450.00

A fine Roman bottle blow from translucent aubergine coloured glass. The vessel features a piriform body which slight tapers in to a cylindrical neck leading to an outsplayed rim. The base is concave and both the interior and exterior display iridescence and encrustation.

Date: Circa 1st-3rd century AD
Provenance: From an important London, UK, collection, 1970-1990s.
Condition: Very fine condition

In stock

Glass was often the preferred material for storing expensive oils, perfumes, and medicines because it was not porous. The small body and mouth of the vessels allowed the user to carefully pour and control the amount of liquid dispensed. By the 1st 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. Along with the unique shapes, different components were added to the hot glass to create a variety of colours. Translucent, pale blue and green were common and popular colours during the early Roman era. However more vibrant colours became desired. The aubergine colour seen in this piece would have been created by adding manganese to the glass.

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

Weight 19.3 g
Dimensions W 6 x H 11.3 cm
Culture

Glass

Region

Reference: For a similar shape,The British Museum, item 1856,1004.6

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