Late Roman Glass Jug with a Circular Spout

£ 2,760.00

An elegant Ancient Roman blown glass jug of a beautiful light blue colour. The vessel is supported by a concave base and features a globular, indented body, a long cylindrical neck and a finely modelled flaring rim. A fine trail decoration is applied at the end of the vessel’s neck. One applied handle rises vertically, extending from the rim to the body.

Date: Circa 4th-5th Century AD
Condition: Extremely fine with signs of aging and earthly encrustations on the surface. Part of the applied trail decoration missing. Beautiful mother of pearl like iridescence on the surface.

SOLD

Product Code: RGS-15
Category: Tag:

Glass was often the preferred material for storing expensive oils, perfumes, and medicines in antiquity because it was not porous. By the 1st century AD, the technique of glassblowing had revolutionised the art of glassmaking, allowing for the production of medicine, incense, and perfume containers in new forms and shapes. 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. A large part of ancient glassworks was designed for tableware use, in particular for carrying and serving water and wine at banquets. Jugs, one of the most frequently used containers, existed in various dimensions and shapes.

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

Dimensions H 16 cm
Glass

Blown Glass

Region

Southern Europe

Reference: For a similar item, The Metropolitan Museum, item 91.1.1232 .

You may also like…