Roman
A Roman aubergine glass amphoriskos, Circa 1st - 2nd century AD
Glass
Height: 8 cm
£ 1,200.00
Mould-blown in translucent purple with twin handles, the ovoid body, tapering to pointed bottom, the body decorated with concentric, horizontal ribs.
Mould-blown in translucent purple with twin handles, the ovoid body, tapering to pointed bottom, the body decorated with concentric, horizontal ribs.
Provenance
Mme Marceaux Collection, FrancePrivate collection Mr D, France before 2000
Literature
Luxury glass vessels were produced at multiple cities in the eastern Mediterranean, but Sidon’s sand was reputedly the best quality for glass making. Its name carried a particular cachet: several ancient glassmakers identify themselves as 'Sidonian' in signatures on vessels.Such bottles are modelled on the large clay storage jars that were used to transport wine and olive oil. The miniature glass examples would have been used for expensive scented oils. For the form, see the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acc. no. 81.10.219; Also E.M. Stern, Roman Mold-blown Glass. The First Through Sixth Centuries, The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio, 1995, pp. 152ff, nos. 64-67.