Glass amphoriskos (perfume bottle)

Unknown

5th century BCE · Glass · Greek and Roman Art

Translucent deep turquoise blue, with opaque yellow handles, base knob, and trails. Short, outsplayed rim disk, forming funnel-shpaed mouth; cylindrical neck; piriform body; applied, solid knob base, slightly concave on bottom; two small ear-shaped ring handles applied to top of body and neck. Thick, unmarvered trail applied to outer lip of rim; two trails wound horizontally around center of body, forming three uneven lines. Intact; some pinprick bubbles; dulling and patches of iridescent brownish weathering. During the fifth century B.C., the colors of Mediterranean Group I vessels expanded from blue or opaque white to include other colors, such as dark green, golden brown, and opaque brick red. This amphoriskos is also unusual in that the handles match the trail decoration, not the color of the vessel itself.

Artist

Unknown

Date

5th century BCE

Medium

Glass

Culture

Greek, Eastern Mediterranean

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76