Vessel in the Shape of a Fish (Sprinkler)

Place of OriginRome

Date3rd-4th century CE

DimensionsL: 6 in. (15.3 cm); Max Diam: 2 1/16 in. (5.3 cm)

MediumGlass; free blown, applied decoration

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1923.1065

Not on View

DescriptionThis vessel was free-blown from medium thin to medium thick glass. The fabric cannot be determined because of weathering, and blowing spirals are visible. The glass is transparent with a natural dusky yellow green tint (5 GY 5/2). The added decoration, including thread and bits for the fins and eyes, is translucent to opaque dark blue. No pontil mark is visible. The decorative bits and coils were added and tooled while hot. The vessel is shaped like a fish with an open mouth and an upward-curving tail. The rim is edged with a coil pulled up on two sides to resemble the jaws of a fish. The wide tubular neck has a constriction at its base, forming an interior cut-out with a small aperture of about 0.5 cm that functions as a diaphragm, characteristic of sprinklers. The strongly sloping shoulder connects to a bulbous body with its greatest diameter below the shoulder. The base is bent outward and upward at an angle to form the tail. A rim coil runs around the edge of the mouth, with a second coil just below it. A neck coil encircles the constriction at the base of the neck, and small bits of glass form the eyes and fins.

Published ReferencesDolez, Albane, Glass Animals: 3,500 Years of Artistry and Design, New York, 1988, p. 31, repr.