Glass Frontinus barrel jug

Unknown

4th century CE · Glass · Greek and Roman Art

Colorless with pale greyish green tinge, with handles in same color. Rim folded out, round, and in; flaring mouth; uneven cylindrical neck, expanding downwards; broad, sloping shoulder; cylindrical body with slightly convex vertical side; slightly concave bottom with central pontil scar; two broad strap handles with ribs on either edge attached on opposite sides of shoulder, drawn up, then turned in horizontally to top of neck, with trail extending backwards along underside of mouth and rim. Two prominent vertical mold seams run down side from top to bottom, with a separate disk-shaped base section. On body, side divided into three horizontal bands of roughly equal width; top and bottom bands have six continuous horizontal ribs; central band is plain; on bottom, outer flat ring with faint lettering, and two raised concentric circles. Complete except for large weathered chip in rim; pinprick bubbles; soil encrustation, dulling, pitting, and iridescent weathering. On the base is the inscription FRON.

Artist

Unknown

Date

4th century CE

Medium

Glass

Culture

Roman

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917