Hexagonal Jug

Place of OriginEastern Mediterranean, perhaps Syria

DateProbably sixth to early seventh centuries

DimensionsH: 4 1/8 in. (10.4 cm); Diam (rim): 1 3/16 in. (3.05 cm); Diam (body): 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm); W Base: 1 11/16 in. (4.3 cm)

MediumExpanded mold blown; tooled; applied handle

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1923.1355

Not on View

DescriptionThin glass. Transparent to translucent dark royal blue. Translucent similarly colored handle and coil. A few small spherical bubbles. Rim and neck free blown. Body probably blown into a multipart mold, possibly without a base plate. Relief moderately indistinct, perhaps due to being slightly expanded after extraction from the mold. Pontil mark ca. 0.7 cm in diameter. Excess glass at tip of handle continues into neck coil. Rim folded outward, upward, and inward. Tubular neck. Shoulder slightly sloped with concavity on one side. Hexagonal body with a slight downward taper. Concave base. Solid coil handle applied to shoulder above panel 2 and attached to upper part of neck. Around upper part of neck, neck coil continuing from attachment point of handle, from left to right. On the body, six decorated panels with designs in sunken relief. In the panels, from left to right: 1, two lozenges with a circle in the center of each; 2, lattice; 3, dots; 4, same as panel 1; 5, lattice; 6, stylized palm branch with six leaves on each side. Underside of base undecorated. Transparent to translucent dark royal blue. Translucent similarly colored handle and coil.

Published ReferencesStern, E. Marianne, Roman Mold-blown Glass: the First through Sixth Centuries, "L'Erma" di Bretschneider in Association with the Toledo Museum of Art, Rome, Italy, 1995, cat. no. 184, p. 263.