Wide-Bottomed Flask

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

3rd century

Roman, Eastern Mediterranean

The iridescent sheen on this flask, 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.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Culture: Ancient Roman
Title: Wide-Bottomed Flask
Place: Eastern 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.: 201 CE–300 CE
Medium: Glass, blown technique
Dimensions: 10.8 × 12.4 × 12.4 cm (4 1/4 × 4 7/8 × 4 7/8 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
Reference Number: 1949.1111
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/67389/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 Theodore W. Robinson Collection, Gallery 5A, The Art Institute of Chicago,” 1940, unpublished catalogue in curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.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, 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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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.