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, with another probably in opaque turquoise blue. Broad inward-sloping rim-disk with vertical projecting lip to mouth; short cylindrical neck; irregular, almost spherical body; convex, slightly projecting bottom; two strap handles applied in long, flattened pads to top of body, drawn up and outward, then curving in and trailed on to underside of rim-disk. Yellow trail applied to outer edge of rim-disk; another wide 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, and ending on underside in two more horizontal lines; a second trail in turquoise blue probably added to middle of body, mingling with the yellow trail. Intact; dulling, slight pitting, and iridescent milky weathering.

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