Bird-Shaped Vessel (Askos?)

Place of OriginRoman Empire

Date1st-2nd century CE

DimensionsH: 4 1/8 in. (16.4 cm); Rim Diam: 2 5/16 in. (5.9 cm); Body Diam: 2 1/2 in. (6.3 cm)

MediumGlass; free-blown and tooled.

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1923.1229

Not on View

DescriptionThis bird-shaped vessel, possibly an askos, is classified as free-blown and tooled glass. It is made of thin transparent natural grayish-green glass (near 10 GY 5/2, but more yellow) with a few small bubbles and no pontil mark visible. The vessel is shaped vaguely like a bird with a large round opening where the head would have been, featuring a funnel mouth with an unworked rim and a short cylindrical neck. The elongated ovoid body tapers to a long solid tail that curves upward in an “S” shape; the tail is grooved along the forward edge and top of the tip. The oval concave base is oriented lengthwise with a lengthwise ridge.