Glass amphoriskos (perfume bottle)

Unknown

1st century BCE · Glass · Greek and Roman Art

Translucent green, appearing black; one handle and base-knob in yellow brown, the other handle in yellow green; trail in opaque white. Inward-sloping rim-disk, with tooling indent underneath; tall, slightly concave, cylindrical neck; sloping shoulder; elongated piriform body; large applied base-knob; two rod handles applied in pads across shoulder, drawn up and slightly out to above rim, then looped in and down, and attached to neck below rim in a double fold over trail decoration. Single white trail applied around lip of rim and then wound in a spiral around neck and shoulder to body, then tooled into a festoon pattern with twenty-eight upward strokes, continuing in a plain spiral around lower part of body, ending under base-knob. Intact, except for part of knob; areas of deep pitting and dulling, with brilliant iridescence and creamy brown weathering.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1st century BCE

Medium

Glass

Culture

Greek, Cypriot

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76