Roman Clear Glass Small Unguentarium

£ 90.00

A delicate Roman clear glass unguentarium with a slight green tinge. The rolled-over rim of this vessel is angled to the neck, which itself is very slightly angled to the piriform body. The glass sits on a flat base. Some earthly encrustations to the inside.

Date: Circa 1st-2nd Century AD
Condition: Very fine.

SOLD

SKU: CS-126 Category: Tags: ,

Glass was often the preferred material for storing expensive oils, perfumes, and medicines because it was not porous. The small body and mouth allowed the user carefully to 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. These small glass bottles are found frequently at Hellenistic and Roman sites, especially in cemeteries, and the liquids which filled them would have been gathered from all corners of the expansive Roman Empire. 

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

Weight 16 g
Dimensions W 3.5 x H 7.2 cm
Culture

Glass

Region

Reference: For a similar item,The Metropolitan Museum, item number 74.51.171

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