Ovoid Bottle with Four Non-Functional Handles

Place of OriginAncient Rome

Date4th-5th century CE

DimensionsH: 11 9/16 in. (29.4 cm); Rim Diam: 1 9/16 in. (4 cm); Body Diam (without decoration): 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm)

MediumGlass; free-blown, tooled, applied decoration.

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1923.1063

Not on View

DescriptionMedium thin glass. Fabric cannot be determined because of weathering. Transparent natural pale green tint (near 10 G 6/2). Translucent to opaque dark blue trails and handles. Free-blown. Pontil mark ca. 1.8 cm. Reinforcing button of glass added to base before puntying. Added trails. Excess glass at tips of handles clipped off. Rim rounded in flame. Funnel neck with bulge above constriction at its base. Strongly sloped shoulder. Bulbous body with greatest diameter below middle. High pushed-in foot with hollow tubular base ring. Four non-functional coil side handles applied above base and trailed up along side of body with fourteen irregular crimps to shoulder where they are bent out into decorative loop handles and attached to lower part of neck above constriction. Between these, four crimped trails with loops applied to lower body, trailed up along side of body with three to five irregular crimps, a loop, two crimps, a loop, and two to three crimps, ending just above middle of body. CLASSIFICATION: Bulbous Bottle I C 1 b.

Published ReferencesGrose, David, "Ancient Glass," Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, vol. 20, no. 3, 1978, p. 82, repr. fig. 28.