Bottle

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

1st-3rd century

Ancient Mediterranean

Initially affordable only among the wealthy, glass was used in ancient Rome as containers for oils, perfume, and tablewares. The variety of glass-making techniques reveals the changing tastes and fashions over the centuries. During the 1st century CE, cast glass was a novel form that was a luxury for the Roman household. But by the end of the century, the innovation of blown glass allowed for cheaper and less labor-intensive production, making it affordable to people of lesser means. This container would have been just one object among the array of mirrors, combs, palettes for mixing cosmetics, bottles and other containers used to beautify well-to-do Romans.

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

Artist: 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.: 1 CE–300 CE
Medium: Glass, blown technique
Dimensions: 12.1 × 6.4 × 6.4 cm (4 3/4 × 2 1/2 × 2 1/2 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
Reference Number: 1949.1169
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/67500/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 Theodore W. Robinson Collection, Gallery 5A, The Art Institute of Chicago,” 1940, unpublished catalogue in curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago.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.

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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.