Glass amphoriskos (perfume bottle)

Unknown

1st century BCE · Glass · Greek and Roman Art

Translucent green, appearing black; handles and base of uncertain color; patch near base in opaque red; trail in opaque white. Inward-sloping rim-disk, with upward rounded lip; cylindrical neck, expanding downwards; sloping shoulder with indented surface; piriform body; applied knob base; two rod handles applied in pads across shoulder, drawn up vertically, then looped in and down, and pressed onto neck below rim over trail decoration. Single white trail applied to 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 and under base knob, and trailed off up side. Broken and repaired, with one handle completely missing and hole in side of body; dulling, deep pitting and weathering, with brilliant iridescence.

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