Ewer

Place of OriginAncient Rome, Probably Eastern Mediterranean

DateFourth century CE

DimensionsH (to top of handle): 12 5/8 in. (32.1 cm)
H (to mouth): 12 1/4 in. (16.7 cm);
Mouth Diam: 4 7/32 in. (10.7 cm);
Base Diam: 4 7/16 in. (11.3 cm);
Weight: 901.5 g
(1 lb. 15.8 oz.)

MediumGlass; mold-blown, tooled, applied, wheel-cut.

ClassificationGlass

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1979.54

Not on View

DescriptionPale green, thick glass. Good quality. Very few small bubbles. Tiny sandy impurities; black specks in handle. Natural green glass; flattened and rounded shoulder and sharply tapering body. The foot has a "collar-like" flange around its outer edge. Two trailed fillets: one on the underside of the flaring mouth and one around the neck. The white strap handle has seven vertical ribs and a thumb rest at the top. Transparent to translucent grayish yellow green (5 GY 7/2 to 10 Y 6/2). Translucent similarly colored handle and coils. Transparent to translucent dusky yellow base (near 5 Y 6/4). Free-blown. Ring pontil ca. 3.8 cm in diameter. In center of base, a solid button of glass, ca. 1.2 cm in diameter, possibly a second pontil mark; this element has same color as body of vessel and looks as if it is the solid point of the body, CHECK w Leonard Marty but there is no indication of the body continuing through the blown base. Added coils. Excess glass at tip of handle folded back against top of thumbrest. Flaring circular mouth; rim rounded in flame. Cylindrical neck with curved transition to shoulder. Sloping shoulder. Inverted conical body with sides tapering to a point. High, blown base with concave outsplayed sides, forming a broad disk with an angular edge, and cut out collar above. Straight strap handle with seven broad ribs applied to shoulder and bent inward at a straight angle; attached to top of rim where it was folded outward to form a curved thumbrest projecting above the rim and then pulled down over the rim coil where it was pressed against the underside of the mouth forming a closed loop folded upward. Neck coil and rim coil from left to right. CLASSIFICATION Jug Class IA3a with ribbed handle IIB1ab

Published ReferencesCatalogue of the Constable-Maxwell Collection of Ancient Glass, Sotheby Parke-Bernet and Co., London, June 4-5, 1979, p. 124, lot no. 217, repr. (col.).

"Current Exhibitions," Archaeology, vol. 33, no. 1, Jan/Feb 1980, p. 4, and no. 2, Mar/Apr 1980, p. 2.

1979 Annual Report, Toledo Museum of Art News, vol. 21, no. 4, p. 79 repr.

Dragadze, Peter, "Of Passion and Profit, " Connoisseur, vol. 217, no. 909, Oct, 1987, repr. p. 187 (col.).

Page, Jutta-Annette, The Art of Glass: Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH, Toledo Museum of Art, 2006, p. 38, repr. (col.) p. 39.

Exhibition HistoryWorcester Art Museum; Cleveland Museum of Art; Baltimore Museum of Art, Antioch: The Lost Ancient City, 2000-2001, no. 82, p. 195, repr. (col.).