Piriform Bottle with Inner Diaphragm (Sprinkler)

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Drawing by Timothy Motz for the Toledo Museum of Art, 1995

Piriform Bottle with Inner Diaphragm (Sprinkler)

Place of OriginLebanon, reportedly found in Sidon

Date3rd-4th century CE

DimensionsH: 4 1/2 in. (11.5 cm); Rim Diam: 2 7/16 in. (6.2 cm); Body Diam: 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm)

MediumGlass; mold-blown, tooled.

ClassificationGlass

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1953.150

Not on View

DescriptionA piriform glass flask blown into a two-part mold and expanded. The glass is a transparent natural green with areas of iridescence. The body features a geometric relief pattern consisting of three rows of concentric circles set within hexagonal frames, separated by small lozenge or "wafer" motifs. The vessel has a concave base with a pontil mark. The neck is tubular and free-blown, with a constriction at the base containing an interior diaphragm (aperture approx. 0.7 cm) that functions as a sprinkler. The rim is outsplayed at a 45-degree angle. The vessel profile is slightly crooked.

Label TextThis pear-shaped flask was designed to dispense precious oils or perfumes one drop at a time. A small internal restriction, or diaphragm, at the base of the neck controls the flow of liquid, giving the vessel its modern name: a "sprinkler." The intricate pattern of concentric circles and hexagons was created by blowing the hot glass into a reusable two-part mold. Although the dealer who sold this piece in 1953 claimed it was from the famous 1st-century workshops of Sidon, scholars now identify this type of geometric mold-blown glass as a product of Syrian workshops from the Late Roman period, several centuries later.Comparative ReferencesCf. Stern, E. M., Ancient Glass at the Fondation Custodia (Collection Ernesto Wolf), Groningen, Wolters-Noordhoff, 1977. (Cited as parallel in file). Cf. von Saldern, Axel, Gläser der Antike: Sammlung Erwin Oppenländer, Hamburg, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, 1974, p. 177, no. 489. (Cited as parallel in file).