Glass alabastron

Unknown

2nd–1st century BCE · Glass · Greek and Roman Art

Translucent cobalt blue, appearing black; opaque white trail. Two conjoining fragments of straight-sided fusiform body expanding downward, then tapering in to bottom. Single white trail wound in a spiral around body and tooled into a festoon pattern with sixteen upward strokes, continuing in a plain spiral in two turns around lower part of body; another white trail applied vertically below, drawn up and then round in a downward spiral in five turns ending around bottom. Broken with weathered edges on both fragments, missing rim, neck, bottom, and handles; dulling, pitting, and iridescent weathering. Thin coating a red core material on interior.

Artist

Unknown

Date

2nd–1st century BCE

Medium

Glass

Culture

Greek

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76