Kohl Container

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

5th-6th century

Byzantine; Eastern Mediterranean

Byzantine glassmakers refined the techniques they inherited from their Roman predecessors, creating objects with increasingly elaborate forms and complex decorative elements to flaunt their skills. Cosmetic containers like this one were often adorned with fine strands (trails) of glass that required a steady hand and rapid execution, while other vessels look quite complex yet were easily made. Glass continued to be used in objects of personal adornment such as jewelry, both as a material in its own right and to imitate precious stones, offering more affordable options for what was in fashion.

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

Culture: Byzantine
Title: Kohl Container
Place: Palestine (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.: 401 CE–600 CE
Medium: Glass, blown technique
Dimensions: 32.3 × 10.2 × 8.1 cm (12 3/4 × 4 × 3 3/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
Reference Number: 1949.425
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/65584/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 Theodore W. Robinson Collection, Gallery 5A, The Art Institute of Chicago,” 1940, unpublished catalogue in curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
Karen B. Alexander and Mary Greuel. Private Taste in Ancient Rome: Selections from Chicago Collections. Exh. cat. (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1990), cat.74.
Kurt T. Luckner, Ancient Art at The Art Institute of Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies, vol. 20, no. 1 (1994), cat. 66, pp. 88, 90 (ill.).

Art Institute of Chicago, Grave Goods from Ancient Cultures, Gallery 141, November 9, 1991-February 25, 1992.
Art Institute of Chicago, Of Gods and Glamour: The Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art, Gallery 153, November 11, 2012 - March 17, 2022.

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

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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.

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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.