Cylindrical Jug with Three Pairs of Floral Sprays

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Cylindrical Jug with Three Pairs of Floral Sprays

Place of OriginSyria or Palestine

DateFirst half of the first century

DimensionsH: 3 11/16 in. (9.3 cm); Diam: 1 1/8 in. (2.9 cm)

MediumGlass; mold-blown.

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1923.440

Not on View

DescriptionThis cylindrical jug is made of medium thin, transparent to translucent glass with a grayish yellow-green tint (5 GY 7/2). Due to weathering, the fabric cannot be definitively identified. The neck was free-blown, while the body and lower part of the neck were mold-blown using a four-part mold composed of three vertical sections joined to a cup-shaped base section (MCT I). Mold seams show flashing at the base of the neck, with a particularly large flash under the handle. The tip of the handle was drawn out thin and folded back. The rim is folded outward, upward, and inward. The cylindrical neck tapers slightly downward. The convex shoulder and convex bottom are connected by a cylindrical body. The flat underside of the base features three raised concentric rings around a central dot, with the outer ring forming a base ring measuring 3.0 cm in diameter. A bifurcated handle was applied to the shoulder and attached to the rim with a projecting thumbrest. The handle is centered over the mold seam between mold sections 2 and 3. Decorative elements include seven or eight downturned tongues with raised darts between them on the neck and shoulder of each mold section. The body displays three pairs of floral sprays arranged horizontally tip to tip: trefoil leaves (ivy) in section 1; multifoil leaves (grape) in section 2; and single-pointed leaves alternating with round fruits (possibly stylized olives) in section 3. The bottom is decorated with a frieze of twenty-four upturned tongues, also in raised outline with raised darts between.

Published ReferencesStern, E. Marianne, Roman Mold-blown Glass: The First through Sixth Centuries, Rome, "L'Erma" di Bretschneider, 1995, p. 166-167, no. 75.Comparative ReferencesSee also Harden 1944-45, 85, no. e (although the color of this vessel is not the same as described, the position of the handle agrees with the description).