Glass aryballos (perfume bottle)

Unknown

late 6th–5th century BCE · Glass · Greek and Roman Art

Translucent blue, with same color handles; trails in opaque yellow, probably with another in opaque turquoise blue. Broad inward-sloping rim-disk with radiating tooling marks on underside; short cylindrical neck; angular shoulder; almost spherical body; convex, slightly pointed bottom with small indent at center; two ring handles with knobbed tails extend from shoulder to neck. A yellow trail applied to outer edge of rim-disk; another broad yellow trail applied on upper body and wound down in spiral, at first in horizontal lines, then tooled into a close-set zigzag pattern around central section of body, formed by uneven, shallow vertical tooling indents; a second trail in turquoise blue added to middle of body, mingling with the yellow trail; below zigzag pattern, a yellow and a turquoise blue trail wound once round body . Intact; dulling, pitting, and faint iridescence.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 6th–5th century BCE

Medium

Glass

Culture

Greek, Eastern Mediterranean

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1881