Bulbous Jug with Spouted Mouth on Base Ring

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Bulbous Jug with Spouted Mouth on Base Ring

Place of OriginRoman Empire, probably inland Palestine or Syria

DateProbably 4th century

DimensionsH: 5 11/16 in. (14.5 cm); Diam (rim): 2 1/8 in. (5.5 cm); Diam (body): 3 1/16 in. (7.8 cm); Diam (base): 1 15/16 in. (4.9 cm)

MediumGlass; free blown and tooled.

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1923.1207

Not on View

DescriptionThis bulbous jug with a spouted mouth and base ring is free-blown and tooled from medium thin translucent to transparent streaky manganese-colored dusky red glass (near 5 R 3/4), with a translucent pale olive ribbon handle (near 10 Y 6/2). The glass contains numerous pinprick bubbles, many of which have burst at the surface, along with black specks and a large sandy impurity in the handle. The jug was formed free-blown with a pontil mark approximately 2.5 cm in diameter, and excess glass at the tip of the handle was folded back into the loop at the rim. The rim is folded outward, upward, and inward to shape the spouted mouth, leading to a cylindrical neck with a slight taper and a curved transition to a nearly horizontal shoulder. The bulbous body has its greatest diameter at the shoulder and slightly convex walls that taper to a small applied base ring with outsplayed sides, which is unevenly trimmed. A straight strap handle with two broad ribs, semicircular in section, is applied to the shoulder and attached to the side of the rim where it projects above the top of the rim and is pressed down to form a closed loop against the side of the mouth. This vessel is classified as Jug Class IB3b with strap handle IIB2a.