Miniature Spherical Jar with Basket Handle

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Miniature Spherical Jar with Basket Handle

Place of OriginAncient Rome, Italy or Eastern Mediterranean

DateFirst century

DimensionsH: 1 7/8 in. (4.7 cm); Max Diam: 1 7/16 in. (4.3 cm); Rim Diam: 1 11/16 in. (3.7 cm)

MediumGlass; rim tooled. Body blown into a two-part mold of two vertical sections.

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1923.416

Not on View

DescriptionThe color and fabric of this thin-walled jar are obscured by weathering. The body was mold-blown in a two-part vertical mold (MCT VIII), with a continuous seam running around the vessel and across the underside of the base. The rim was rounded and thickened in the flame, with a tool mark on the interior and a constriction just below it. The jar has a spherical body and flat base, with a single handle arching over the top. The mold-blown decoration includes four pairs of branches hanging from the rim, symmetrically arranged on both sides of the vessel. Each pair includes a trefoil ivy leaf with three berries, followed by alternating pointed laurel leaves and rounded fruits. Below each ivy branch is a thick fillet, and a small bucranium (ox skull) is positioned where the tips of the laurel branches meet.

Published ReferencesStern, E. Marianne, Roman Mold-blown Glass: The First through Sixth Centuries, Rome, "L'Erma" di Bretschneider, 1995, p. 183-184, no. 114.