Unguent Bottle (Amphoriskos)
Unguent Bottle (Amphoriskos)
Place of OriginEastern Mediterranean, possibly from Rhodes, Greece
Date4th-3rd century BCE
DimensionsH: 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm); Diam: 13/16 in. (2.1 cm); Max Diam of Body: 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm)
Mediumglass
ClassificationGlass
Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1923.87
Not on View
DescriptionThis amphoriskos is made of cobalt-blue glass and is decorated with opaque yellow and opaque turquoise-blue threads. It has a broad, inward-sloping rim-disk and a relatively tall cylindrical neck. The shoulder meets the neck at an obtuse angle and transitions into a straight-sided, top-shaped body. The vessel ends in a conical cobalt-blue base-knob, which is flat on its underside and features a small hole at the center.
Two cobalt-blue vertical strap handles extend from the shoulder to the top of the neck. An unmarvered opaque yellow thread is attached at the edge of the rim-disk. A second opaque yellow thread, marvered, begins on the shoulder and is wound horizontally around the body twice. Below this, three wide opaque turquoise-blue threads, together with several narrow opaque yellow threads—all marvered—are tooled into a zigzag pattern around the middle of the body. Below the zigzag band, one opaque yellow and one opaque turquoise-blue thread, both marvered, are wound horizontally once each around the lower part of the body. An additional opaque yellow marvered thread encircles the edge of the base-knob.
Vertical indentations on the body were caused by the tooling of the zigzags. The vessel was core-formed, and the rim-disk, handles, base-knob, and decorative threads were applied.
Published ReferencesGrose, David F., Early Ancient Glass: Core-Formed, Rod-Formed, and Cast Vessels and Objects from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Roman Empire, 1600 B.C. to A.D. 50, New York, Hudson Hills Press in association with the Toledo Museum of Art, 1989, Cat. No. 107, p. 147.Probably first half of 5th century BCE
Late 6th through 5th century BCE
Late 6th to 5th century BCE
Late 6th through 5th century BCE
Late 6th through 5th century BCE
5th century BCE
Probably first half of 5th century BCE
6th-5th century BCE
5th century BCE
Late 6th - 5th century BCE
Late 6th through 5th century BCE
Late 6th-5th century BCE
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