Superb Roman Glass Bottle

$1,579.64

An exceptional Ancient Roman pale green blown glass flask featuring an applied splayed conical foot and a globular body extending to a narrowed neck which flares in the upper section into a funnel shape leading to a flat lip. The item features stunning silvery blue and rainbow coloured iridescence, along with some patches of earthly encrustations. The purpose of the applied foot was to reinforce the bottom of the bottle. The absence of handles on such a good-sized, slender object provides it with great elegance.

Date: Circa 2nd-3rd Century AD
Condition: Extremely fine, beautiful iridescence, some earthly encrustations to the surface.

SOLD

SKU: CS-307 Category: Tags: , ,

As in the modern day, glassware in antiquity was considered an art form, with the best pieces were valued higher than wares made from precious metals. 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. Glass vessels 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. A large part of ancient glassworks was also designed for tableware use, in particular for carrying and serving water and wine at banquets.

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

Weight 160 g
Dimensions H 25 cm
Culture

Glass

Region

Reference: For a similar item, The British Museum, item number 1856,1004.4

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