Ancient Roman Glass Jar with Basket Handle

$625.54

A fine Ancient Roman jar produced from pale blue glass. The vessel features a bulbous body sitting on a concave base, which tapers into a short neck with a tubular rim. A solid rod handle has been applied to the shoulder, drawn up and outwards, then folded below the rim. The handle rises above the jar to form an arched basket handle, then drops down to fold again below the rim and trail off on the opposite shoulder.

Date: 3rd – 4th Century AD
Condition: Very good condition. Part of the tubular rim is now missing. Iridescence, weathering and some earthy encrustations to the surface.

In stock

SKU: MG-89 Category: Tags: , ,

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 allowing the vessels to have 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. Different minerals were added to create a variety of colours; the blue tint seen in this piece would have been created by adding cobalt oxide and copper oxide. The iridescence on ancient Roman glass was unintentional, and was caused by weathering on its surface. The extent to which a glass object weathers depends mainly on the burial conditions; however, the humidity, heat, and type of soil in which the glass was buried also all affect its preservation.

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

Weight 60.9 g
Dimensions W 8.2 x H 11.7 cm
Culture

Region

Glass

Reference: For a similar item, please see The Metropolitan Museum, item X.246

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