Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. A Roman blown glass work in the form of an aryballos, a round-bodied vessel with a narrow neck and flared, flat rim; this particular example has two applied handles. This style of vessel was made for carrying oil to a public bath, part of the ritual of bathing that included rubbing the body with oil mixed with fine sand and then wiping it clean with a long, flat instrument with a sharp edge called a strigil. Glassblowing techniques revolutionized the glass industry in ancient Rome, taking it from a small, specialized production limited to a few local regions to a huge consumer technology in the mid-first century CE. Where items would once have been made of pottery, suddenly they were made of glass, which became omnipresent in Roman life. This dainty vessel is in superb condition! Size: 2.5" Diameter x 3" H (6.4 cm x 7.6 cm)

Provenance: private Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA collection, Estate of Carol Mae Fries, Ojai, California

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#177026

Intact and excellent with only minor surface nicks. Mineral encrustations on interior and iridescence.