Bulbous Bottle with Lozenge Pattern

Place of OriginRoman Empire, probably Syria or Palestine

DateProbably late 3rd century

DimensionsH: 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm); Body H: 2 3/8 in. (6.0 cm); Max Diam: 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm); Rim Diam: 2 7/16 in. (6.2 cm); Base Diam: 1 11/16 in. (4.3 cm)

MediumGlass; neck and mouth free blown. Body blown into a two-part mold with two vertical sections(MCT VIII).

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1923.1333

Not on View

DescriptionThis thin glass bulbous bottle has a low globular body, a very short cylindrical neck, and a wide horizontal mouth rim. The rim is folded outward, upward, inward, and flattened. The neck and mouth were free-blown, while the body was blown into a two-part vertical mold with carefully aligned seams that run around the body and underside of the base. The surface is decorated with an all-over pattern of intersecting diagonal lines forming lozenges, each with a central dot. Thirteen rows of lozenges are visible, with nine columns on one side and eight on the other. The glass is transparent natural green, but the exact color is obscured by weathering. The vessel shows incrustation and iridescence. There is no pontil mark.

Published ReferencesStern, E. Marianne, Roman Mold-blown Glass: The First through Sixth Centuries, Rome, "L'Erma" di Bretschneider, 1995, p. 198, no. 135.