Unguent Bottle (Amphoriskos)
Unguent Bottle (Amphoriskos)
Place of OriginEastern Mediterranean, possibly from Rhodes
DateLate sixth through fifth centuries BCE
DimensionsH: 2 5/8 in (6.6 cm); Diam: 15/16 in. (2.4 cm); Max Diam of Body: 1 9/16 in. (4 cm)
Mediumglass
ClassificationGlass
Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number
1923.183
Not on View
DescriptionThis small amphoriskos has a blue ground with opaque yellow and opaque turquoise-blue decoration. It features a broad, inward-sloping rim-disk; cylindrical neck; a shoulder that ranges from obtuse- to nearly right-angled; and a top-shaped body set on a circular blue base-knob with a rounded edge. Two blue vertical strap handles extend from the shoulder to the middle of the neck.
A marvered opaque yellow thread is attached at the edge of the rim-disk. A second marvered opaque yellow thread begins on the shoulder and is wound in horizontal lines, then tooled into a close-set zigzag pattern down to the body’s midsection. At that point, a marvered opaque turquoise-blue thread is introduced and mingles with the yellow thread. Below, a marvered turquoise-blue thread continues in horizontal spirals, joined by a third marvered opaque yellow thread that encircles the lower body. A fourth marvered opaque yellow thread winds around the edge and underside of the base-knob.
Manufactured using the core-forming technique, the vessel includes an applied rim-disk, handles, and base-knob, as well as applied marvered threads. A distinct horizontal tooling mark crosses the shoulder, and faint vertical indentations on the body result from the tooling of the zigzag pattern.
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. 102, p. 145.
Late 6th through 5th century BCE
Late sixth through fifth centuries BCE
2nd-1st century BCE
5th century BCE
2nd-1st century BCE
Probably first half of fifth century BCE
Late sixth through fifth centuries BCE
Late 6th through 5th centuries BCE
Late 6th through 5th centuries BCE
Late sixth to fifth centuries BCE
5th century BCE
Late 6th - 5th century BCE
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