Glass amphoriskos (perfume bottle)

Unknown

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

Translucent cobalt blue, with handles in same color; trails in opaque yellow and opaque white. Deep inward-sloping rim-disk; broad cylindrical neck, tapering upwards; sloping shoulder; top-shaped body; circular base-knob with deep indent on bottom; two strap handles applied in pads to shoulder, drawn up, turned in, and pressed onto neck. Yellow trail attached at edge of rim-disk; another yellow trail applied in a spiral around top of body in horizontal lines, then tooled into an irregular close-set zigzag pattern around middle of body together with a single white trail; below, a yellow trail wound horizontally twice around lower body. Part of zigzag pattern distorted by cobalt blue overlay. Intact; some white gritty inclusions and one large cracked inclusion on shoulder; slight dulling and some pitting of surface bubbles, but little 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