Roman Pale Blue Glass Bottle

$947.78

A very fine Ancient Roman bottle moulded from pale blue translucent glass. The vessel features a flat base with a spheroid body leading to a narrow cylindrical neck and an everted rim. Vertical ribs embellish the top half of the body, two deep horizontal rims frame a central panel of a scroll frieze, parts now worn away. Beautiful blue iridescence covers the surface.

Date: Circa 1st – 3rd century AD
Condition: Fine condition, small chips and hairline crack to the lower section. Some encrustation is visible.

In stock

SKU: LD-272 Category: Tag:

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. This particular piece was blown into a mould. The technique allowed for easier manipulation of the glass into more intricate designs allowing the vessels to have an assortment of functions. The narrow neck would constrict the amount liquid that would pass through to help control the distribution of what the vessel was containing. More expensive fluids, such as perfumes, medicines or oils would be placed in smaller bottles so that their use was controlled. 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; a blue tint was created by adding iron for a lighter aqua or copper for a slightly darker blue.

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

Weight 24.9 g
Dimensions H 6.9 cm
Culture

Glass

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Region

Reference: For a similar design,The Metropolitan Museum, item 91.1.1250

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