Rome, ca. 100 CE. This delicate ancient blue-green glass object has a small bowl and a narrow, tapered straw from one side. Glass blowing technology, developed in the Roman Empire in the 1st century CE, allowed average Roman citizens to replace their pottery home wares with glass. This baby feeder is one example of the new, cheap, easy-to-produce glassware that came to dominate Roman household life. Baby feeders were a common object in Rome, in use when wet nursing wasn't an option or needed to be supplemented. Animal milk would be put into the bowl and the baby would be encouraged to suck it through the straw. Unfortunately, lacking knowledge of sterilization, many Roman infants died from infection when the narrow straws of the feeders were not properly cleaned out, allowing bacteria to grow in the milk. Some infants in Roman cemeteries were buried with objects like this one. Size: with spout, this is 3-1/4"L; bowl is 1-1/2"H and has a diameter of 1-1/4". Custom lucite stand.

Provenance: Ex-private NYC, NY collection acquired at Arte Primitivo Gallery, prior ex-Ariadne Gallery, NYC, NY.

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#110050

Minor loss to very tip, as is almost the case with these, otherwise intact/excellent.