Bottle

Unknown

17th–18th century · Chalcedony and aventurine glass, blown with gilded bronze mount and stopperl · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The “chalcedony” glass of thid delicate object mimics the banded, multicolored agate stone of the same name. The technique involves the addition of several metallic oxides into a glass batch that is intentionally left poorly mixed, resulting in streaky veins of color. The perfume bottle has additional splashes of glittering aventurine glass, made from copper crystals that form as the glass cools. Since the crystals can diminish with reheating, aventurine was usually incorporated as small spots dotting the surface of a vessel.

Artist

Unknown

Date

17th–18th century

Medium

Chalcedony and aventurine glass, blown with gilded bronze mount and stopperl

Culture

Italian, Venice (Murano)

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

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