Squat Square Bottle with One Handle
Squat Square Bottle with One Handle
Place of OriginAncient Rome
Date1st-2nd Century
DimensionsH: 7 1/8 in.; W: 5 1/4 in.; D: 5 3/8 in.; Rim Diam: 3 1/2 in.; Handle height: 1 3/4
MediumGlass; mold blown, free blown
ClassificationGlass
Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1923.565
On View
Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic
DescriptionThis Roman glass bottle was shaped in a mold, giving it a square body and flat base. The rim and handle were shaped separately. The handle shows combed ridges, and the base includes a raised circular pattern created by the mold.
Label TextAlthough practical containers, the bottles displayed here have a subtle beauty which is enhanced by the vibrant blue and green glass used to make them. These bottles were formed using a technique called mold-blowing where a molten glass bubble was blown into a mold, forcing the bubble to conform to the mold’s shape. This technique allowed glass to be utilized as a medium for mass production by guaranteeing a standardization of shape, while at the same time giving the glassblower the option to add free-formed details such as handles.Published ReferencesHaberey, Waldemar, "Der Werkstoff Glas im Altertum," GLASTECHENIS BERICHTE, May 1958, repr. 191, fig. 20.
Grose, David, "Ancient Glass," Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, 20, 1978, repr. 81, fig. 17.
Grose, David, "The Origins and Early History of Glass," in D. Klein and W. Lloyd eds., The History of Glass, London, 1984, repr. 31.
1st-2nd century CE
First century
Probably second half of the 1st century
First century
1st century CE
1st-2nd century CE
Second half of the first century CE
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