Glass bottle with dolphin handles

Unknown

3rd–early 4th century CE · Glass · Greek and Roman Art

Colorless with pale greyish blue green tinge; handles in same color. Uneven, cracked-off rim; cylindrical neck, expanding downwards with horizontal tooled indent around base; sloping shoulder with rounded slightly overhanging edge; cylindrical body, tapering slightly downwards and curving in to concave bottom; two small "dolphin" handles dropped onto bottom of neck, drawn down over shoulder, then up and in, forming loop, and trailed off above. On body, bands of faint horizontal wheel-cut lines, one below shoulder, another halfway down side, and possibly a third near bottom, each comprising two parallel lines. Body complete, but broken at rim and neck with some losses; bubbles and striations; dulling, creamy white weathering, and iridescence. Colorless cylindrical bottle with handles in the form of dolphins.

Artist

Unknown

Date

3rd–early 4th century CE

Medium

Glass

Culture

Roman, Rhenish

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917