Glass alabastron (perfume bottle)

Unknown

2nd–mid-1st century BCE · Glass · Greek and Roman Art

Translucent light blue; opaque yellow trail; handles in blue glass. Everted, almost flat, rim-disk; slender, concave neck; straight-sided fusiform body expanding downward, then tapering in to pointed bottom; two horizontal lug handles applied over trails at top of body. Trail attached at bottom, drawn up in a spiral to point of carination, tooled into a close-set feather pattern around side, arranged in six panels of alternating upward and downward strokes, and wound round again in spiral ending on rim. Broken and repaired around body with some areas missing, and only vestigial traces of one handle remaining; a few bubbles; dulling, pitting, and iridescent weathering.

Artist

Unknown

Date

2nd–mid-1st century BCE

Medium

Glass

Culture

Greek, Eastern Mediterranean

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76