Roman Glass Pilgrim Flask

$442.30

A beautiful Ancient Roman glass pilgrim flask, finely blown in blue-green coloured glass. The vessel features a flat, spherical body, a long cylindrical neck and a folded rim. The natural acqua colour of Roman glass, has been here intensified by adding some copper to the molten glass. The passing of time has left some delicate mother of pearl like iridescence to the glass’ surface.

Date: Circa 2nd-3rd Century AD
Provenance: From a private Japanese collection, 1972-2010.
Condition: Extremely fine with some scratches and earthly encrustations to the surface.

SOLD

SKU: CS-37 Category: Tag:

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, allowing for the production 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 31.9 g
Dimensions L 9.7 x W 5.5 cm
Culture

Glass

Region

Reference: For a similar item, Christie’s lot item 50

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