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Bulbous Square Bottle with Two Handles (Amphora)

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Bulbous Square Bottle with Two Handles (Amphora)

Place of OriginAncient Rome
Date3rd-4th century CE
DimensionsH: 6 5/16 in. (16 cm): Rim Diam: 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm); Body Diam: 4 in. (10.1 cm)
MediumGlass; blown in a mold, removed, twisted, free blown, tooled
ClassificationGlass
Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1923.1195
Not on View
DescriptionThis bottle is made of medium thin glass that is transparent dark greenish yellow (near 10 Y 6/6), with translucent bluish green handles (color not on the rock color chart). The glass contains small vertically elongated bubbles in the neck and larger diagonally elongated bubbles in the body, with some black specks and stone inclusions visible in the handles and body. The body was blown into a one-part patterned mold, then twisted, expanded, and flattened on four sides, while the neck was free-blown and tooled. The pontil mark measures approximately 1.13 cm in diameter. The flaring rim is rounded and partially thickened in flame, with a tool mark along half of the interior. The tall tubular neck has a constriction at its base, leading to a sloping shoulder and squared bulbous body that sits above a concave base with a kick. Two angular coil handles are applied to opposite corners of the shoulder and attached halfway up the neck, with excess glass folded back against the tops of the handles and pinched flat. On the body, twenty-four curved corrugations extend from the shoulder to halfway down the sides, becoming less distinct toward the base. This vessel is classified as a Bulbous Bottle I A 1 a.

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