Large Roman Pale Yellow Glass Jar

£ 575.00

A very fine large Ancient Roman jar blown from pale yellow-green glass. The vessel features a globular body with a dimpled base and a short, trumpet-shaped neck with an everted flared rim. The lower part of the body is decorated with two bands of small pinched projections. Areas of purple and pink iridescence are visible to the glass.

Date: Circa 3rd-4th Century AD
Provenance: From a London, UK, collection, 1990s
Condition: Excellent condition. The piece is intact. Earthly encrustation and iridescence to the surface.
SKU: RGS-82 Categories: ,

Glass was often the preferred material for storing expensive oils, perfumes, and medicines in antiquity because it was not porous. Glass vessels are found frequently at Hellenistic and Roman sites, especially in cemeteries, and the liquids that filled them would have been gathered from all corners of the expansive Roman Empire. By the 1st century AD, the technique of glass-blowing had revolutionised the art of glass-making. The new technique allowed craftsmen to use smaller amounts of glass for each vessel and obtain much thinner walls, so enabling the creation of small medicine, incense, and perfume containers in new forms. Along with the unique shapes, different components were added to the hot glass to create a variety of colours. Translucent, pale blue and green were common and popular colours during the early Roman era.

To learn more about Roman glass, visit our relevant post: How It Was Made: Roman Glass.

Weight 101.4 g
Dimensions W 9 x H 10.6 cm
Glass

Blown Glass, Drawn & Tooled Glass

Region

Southern Europe

Reference: For a similar item: Bonhams, London, Antiquities, 15 October 2008, lot 340

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