Glass mosaic perfume bottle

Unknown

1st half of 1st century CE · Glass · Greek and Roman Art

Translucent turquoise blue, translucent purple, and opaque white. Everted, horizontal rim with rounded outer lip; cylindrical neck, with slight horizontal indent around base; squat globular body; concave bottom. Marbled mosaic pattern formed from large, irregularly shaped sections of a cane in a turquoise blue ground with purple outlined in white. Intact, except for one large chip in rim; dulling, pitting, and faint iridescence. Rotary grinding marks on exterior. Small bottles and lidded pyxides (boxes) in mosaic and luxury gold-band glass were made during the Julio-Claudian period. But as glass-blowing became more widespread during the mid-1st century, they were quickly supplanted by free-blown versions, often in more transparent glass that allowed one to see the contents.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1st half of 1st century CE

Medium

Glass

Culture

Roman

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891