Bottle

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

9th-11th century

Ancient Mediterranean

Initially affordable only among the wealthy, glass was used in ancient Rome to create tableware and containers for oils and perfume. The variety of glass-making techniques reveals the changing tastes and fashions over the centuries. During the 1st century, cast glass was a novel form and a luxury for Roman households. By the end of the century, however, innovations in technique allowed for cheaper and less labor-intensive production, making it affordable to people of lesser means. Blown glass nearly supplanted ceramic and even bronze wares in popularity. This prestige carried well into the Byzantine period.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture: Ancient Mediterranean
Title: Bottle
Place: Mediterranean Region (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 801 CE–1100
Medium: Glass, blown technique
Dimensions: 9.8 × 7.6 × 7.6 cm (3 7/8 × 3 × 3 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
Reference Number: 1949.417
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/65561/manifest.json

Wanda Odell, “Ancient Glass: The Mr. and Mrs. Theodore W. Robinson Collection, Gallery 5A, The Art Institute of Chicago,” 1940, unpublished catalogue in curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.

Art Institute of Chicago, Ancient Glass, Mr. and Mrs. Theodore W. Robinson Collection, June 28, 1940 –January 1, 1941.

Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson, Chicago, by 1931; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1949.

Unknown #238, 185

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