Bulbous Bottle

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Bulbous Bottle

Place of OriginAncient Rome

Date4th Century

DimensionsH: 14 3/16 in. (36.1 cm); Diam (body): 10 7/16 in. (26.5 cm); Rim Diam: 4 5/8 in. (11.8 cm)

MediumGlass; free blown, tooled

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1923.760

Not on View

DescriptionMedium thin glass. Medium-sized vertically elongated bubbles in neck and upper body; some large very thin-walled bubbles near surface on body. Blowing spirals. Natural green; wide mouth, folded rim; top 1/4 of neck funnel-shaped; rest of neck cylindrical, widening slightly toward shoulder; body widest at shoulder, narrows toward base. Transparent natural dusky yellow green (near 5 GY 5/2). Free-blown. No pontil mark. Hollow rim, folded outward, upward, inward, and downward. Funnel mouth. Tubular neck tapering upward. Bulbous body with greatest diameter below shoulder. Concave base. CLASSIFICATION Bulbous Bottle II B 4 a

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.