The iridescent sheen on this bottle, an artificially created effect sought after by 19th-century glassmaking innovators such as Louis Comfort Tiffany, was not actually intended by or known to their makers. Because of their association with luxury and precious oils and perfumes, these vessels were often buried with their owners in tombs, the chemical conditions of which, over time, have caused the surfaces to deteriorate, resulting in the shimmering, often opalescent, hues that appeal to the modern eye.
Date
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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 Theodore W. Robinson Collection, Gallery 5A, The Art Institute of Chicago,” 1940, unpublished catalogue in curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.
Sidney Goldstein, “Cats. 119–121 Three Iridescent Bottles: Curatorial Entry,” in Roman Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago, 2016).
Sidney Goldstein, “Cat. 120 Bottle: Curatorial Entry,” in Roman Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago, 2016).
Art Institute of Chicago, Of Gods and Glamour: The Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art, Gallery 152, November 11, 2012 - present.
Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson, Chicago, by 1931; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1949.
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