Jar (Amphoriscus) with 'Splashed' Decoration

Place of OriginAncient Rome

Date1st century CE

DimensionsH: 4 15/16 in. (12.5 cm); Diam: 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm); Diam (body): 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm)

MediumFree blown; tooled; applied and marvered decoration; applied handles

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1923.1495

Not on View

DescriptionThin glass. Numerous bubbles in colored chips. Light purple body and handles; opaque light blue and opaque white decoration; folded rim; two applied handles extend from top of neck to shoulder; cylindrical neck; oval body; decorated with light blue and white chips, forming splatter effect. Transparent pale manganese colored glass (near 5 YR 6/1). One handle of similar color and one translucent grayish blue (5 PB 5/2) handle. Opaque white, opaque pale blue (near 5 B 6/2), and opaque dark blue chips. Free-blown. No pontil mark. Colored chips picked up, blown out with vessel, and melted completely into surface. Tips} of handles drawn out thin and folded back. Flaring rim, folded outward, upward, and inward. Tall cylindrical neck with curved transition to shoulder. Barrel-shaped body. Base flattened with depression in center. Medium-sized flecks on base, body, and neck (approximately 0.4 -1.0 cm in diameter) blown out to long, near linear form on neck and shoulder. CLASSIFICATION Isings 1957, Form 15 (variation)

Published ReferencesAuth, Susan H., Ancient Glass at the Newark Museum, Newark, NJ, 1976, p. 60 as a parallel to her no. 55 (pale yellow-green with opaque white, yellow, and pale blue flecks).

Grose, David F., "Ancient Glass," Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, vol. 20, no. 3, 1978, p. 78, fig. 14.

Grose, David, "The Formation of the Roman Glass Industry," Archaeology, vol. 36, no. 4, July/Aug., 1983, illustrated p. 38.

Grose, David F., "Innovation and Change in Ancient Technologies: The Anomalous Case of the Roman Glass Industry," in High-technology Ceramics, Westerville, OH, 1986, p. 77, fig. 16.