Glass alabastron (perfume bottle)

Unknown

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

Translucent cobalt blue, with handles in same color; trails in opaque yellow and opaque white. Broad horizontal rim-disk, made as a spiral coil around top of neck; cylindrical neck, tapering downwards; narrow, almost horizontal shoulder; straight-sided cylindrical body, with slight upward taper; faceted bottom ending in slight point; below shoulder, two small horizontal ring handles, only one of which is pierced through vertically, applied over trail pattern. A fine yellow trail attached at edge of rim-disk; on body, alternating bands of yellow and white, tooled from shoulder to undercurve at bottom into a close-set feather pattern in eight vertical patterns with alternating upward and downward strokes, with well-defined loops at top and bottom. Intact; dulling, pitting, and some creamy iridescent weathering.

Artist

Unknown

Date

4th–3rd century BCE

Medium

Glass

Culture

Greek, Eastern Mediterranean or Italian

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917