Pointed Bottle
Pointed Bottle
Place of OriginSyria
Date1st century CE
DimensionsH: 13 5/8 in. (34.6 cm); Diam: 4 in. (10.2 cm)
MediumGlass; free blown, added coil neck ring.
ClassificationGlass
Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1967.4
On View
Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic
Collections
Published ReferencesSangiorgi, Giorgio, Collezione de vetri antichi dalle orinigi al V secolo D.C. ordinati e descritti da Giorgio Sangiorgi con prefazione di W. Froehner, Rome, 1914, no. 54, pl. viii.Label TextCore-formed and cast glass vessels had been made at least as early as the 15th century BCE in Egypt and Mesopotamia, but glassblowing did not appear in the Roman Empire until the first century BCE. This skill was brought to the capital city of Rome from the eastern Mediterranean (modern Syria), after the area was annexed by Rome in 64 BCE. Blown glass immediately became fashionable and the material of choice in every facet of daily life, from a lady’s dressing table to the dinner table. The three examples displayed here show the variety and sophistication of free-blown glass. Some of the best preserved glass was found in ancient tombs. The pointed amphora (bottle) may have contained perfume, the two-handled jar probably held oil, and the large bottle perhaps held wine—all ready to accompany the dead into the next life.- Glass
Fourth century CE
1st century CE
Late fourth to early fifth century
Second half of first century CE
Probably fourth or early fifth century
Probably fifth to early sixth century
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