Hexagonal Bottle, Vessels Type, Series A

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Hexagonal Bottle, Vessels Type, Series A

Place of OriginPhoenicia

DateProbably first quarter of first century

DimensionsH: 2 13/16 in. (7.2 cm); Rim Diam: 7/8 in. (2.2 cm); Body Diam: 1 5/8 in. (4.2 cm); Base Diam: 7/8 in. (2.3 cm)

MediumGlass; mold blown and tooled.

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1923.472

Not on View

DescriptionThis opaque white hexagonal bottle is made of medium thin glass. The fabric cannot be determined because of weathering. The neck and rim were free blown, while the body was blown into a three-part mold composed of three vertical sections, corresponding to MCT IV in Stern’s typology. The mold seams between panels 2 and 3, 4 and 5, and 6 and 1 meet off-center on the underside of the base. The mold edges between panels 1 and 6 and between 4 and 5 are misaligned. The relief is crisp. This vessel belongs to the Vessels Type, Series A1, Generation A1a. The rim flares outward and is folded upward, with a tool mark visible along the interior. The cylindrical neck has a vertical crimp at its base. The bulbous body reaches its widest point midway between the center and the base. The base is low and offset with a concave underside. Six pointed arches on the shoulder each enclose a large, dome-shaped object. The body features six rectangular panels divided by columns with a broad abacus, torus capital, smooth shaft, and a high double torus base. Within the panels, from left to right: 1, a spouted jug with high handle to the right and a scalloped base; 2, a footed bowl with wide opening and two tall curved handles containing three rows of rounded objects (possibly fruit); 3, a wide-mouthed footed vessel with two small vertical handles; 4, a tall footed bowl with cylindrical grooved neck, oblate body, and tall stem filled with rounded dimpled objects; 5, a footed jug with high right-side handle; and 6, another wide-mouthed vessel like panel 3. Below, suspended fillets span between panels with alternating large and small knobbed fruits beneath each column; larger fruits align with the mold seams.

Published ReferencesStern, E. Marianne, Roman Mold-Blown Glass: The First Through Sixth Centuries, Rome, Italy, "L'Erma" di Bretschneider in association with the Toledo Museum of Art, 1995, cat. no. 15, pp. 113-118, color pl. 5 and 6, photographs, figs. 43, 71, and 72.

Arts, P.L.W., "A Collection of Ancient Glass 500 BC - 500 AD," ANTIEK Lochem, 2000, p. 103.

Comparative ReferencesSee also Israeli, Yael, "Sidonian Mold-Blown Glass Vessels in the Museum Haaretz," Journal of Glass Studies, vol. 6, 1964, p. 34. Cf. von Saldern, Axel et al., Gläser der Antike, Sammlung Erwin Oppenländer, Hamburg, 1974, nos. 401-459.