About this artwork
Initially affordable only among the wealthy, glass was used in ancient Rome to create tableware and containers for oils and perfume. In the ancient Mediterranean world, scented oils, usually olive oil based, were used more frequently than alcohol-based perfumes. This vessel is called an alabastron because objects of this shape were originally made of alabaster. To create it, an oblong, heat-resistant form was dipped into molten glass and then removed, leaving behind the core-formed glass object. The patterned exterior was created by trailing different colored threads of glass over the body of the vessel and then combing the threads with a pointed tool.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium
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Culture
- Ancient Mediterranean
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Title
- Alabastron (Container for Scented Oil)
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Place
- Mediterranean Region (Object made in)
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Date
- 600 BCE–301 BCE
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Medium
- Glass, core-formed technique
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Dimensions
- 11.4 × 3.2 × 3.2 cm (4 1/2 × 1 1/4 × 1 1/4 in.)
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Credit Line
- Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
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Reference Number
- 1949.1140
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/67444/manifest.json